Bandit Attack
by AreiaCananaid
Summary: (Pre Tp) Bandits attack the small outlying village of Ordon and lay siege to the small town, but what can a mere orphaned child do about any of it, and how far would he go if he is looking for acceptance?
1. Chapter 1

**Bandit Attack**

**Summary:** (Pre Tp) Bandits attack the small outlying village of Ordon and lay siege to the small town, but what can a mere orphaned child do about any of it, and how far would he go if he is looking for acceptance.

**A/N: **HI everyone! Sorry you all have not heard from me in a while. I have been on a bit of a temporary hiatus because of family trouble, switching schools, and lastly, finals. But I have returned XD I have had this idea for a while now and thought it was finally time to put it down on paper. SO this fic is general my idea of Link's early years in Ordon—taking the steps to set things up for how we see them in Twilight Princess. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

**Disclamer:** I own absolutely nothing, not even my pencil XD. I merely enjoy telling tales.

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**Apprentices, Herbs, and Goats**

The woods were quiet that morning. The only sound was the gentle whisper of wind through the beech grove he stood in and the sound of various woodland animals. Link bent down, his small fingers encircling themselves around the base stem of a plant growing in the trees' shade. The calm quiet of the early morning that he had been enjoying was suddenly shattered by a yell.

"No! Not that one! Put it down," Uli said urgently.

The sharp tone in her voice made him drop the plant he had been holding in about the same manner he would drop a poisonous snake. He looked up at her, startled, wondering what he had done so wrong. Her five year old son, Colin, started and burst into tears at the frantic tone in his usually soft-spoken mother's voice.

Uli had taken the pair of them out for one of her typical early morning walks through the woods to look for herbs. She was an herbalist and the village's only healer. She was an excellent woodswife and her knowledge of plants never ceased to amaze him, even child that he was. As soon as she had deemed him old enough, she had taken him and sometimes his friend Ilia, the village mayor's daughter, to learn what she knew. He loved spending his mornings in the woods, especially when it was with her.

As of now however, he recalled hearing her tone like that only once before. That had been when he had tried to touch a poison ivy bush on one of their first trips.

"Poisonous?" he whispered wide eyed.

"Yes," she told him solemnly as she eyed the discarded plant. "It's an easy mistake to make. Matrimony vine, when it is young, does look a lot like sweet marjoram," she gestured to the bundle of green stems and leafs in her basket. "But look closely at the leaves." She pulled one from the woven container and held it up for him to see. "The leaves are about the same size and shape and they cluster on the sprigs similarly, it's true, but the leaves of the matrimony vine have this glossy tint to them, that is more evident when it's mature, but you can still see it now. It is important not to mix them. Marjoram is a great herb for seasoning, but matrimony vine causes all manner of trouble such as vomiting and dysentery. Very skilled herbalists can use it for some medicinal purposes but, if eaten carelessly or used without the proper knowledge, it can easily take down a full grown man for a day, or even two. So, it is important not to mix them up."

"So, putting it in the soup would be a bad idea then?" he asked her innocently, unable to hide a grin.

She raised both eyebrows at him then shook her head.

"Very," she said finally, a small smile lighting up her own features.

He nodded his understanding solemnly,

"I'll try to remember that."

He flashed a smile at Uli and then went back to work. When next he picked up a bundle of the herbs, he made sure that they were the right ones. He followed after Uli as she passed near soundlessly through the tree shadowed woods. He mimicked the way she stepped, trying to make his footfalls as silent as hers.

The sun was about three quarters of the way towards the middle of the sky when they reached the edge of the forest that surrounded the hollow like clearing where the village of Ordon was situated. Link heard the village long before he saw it though. The sound of livestock and men and women working in the fields, going about their daily tasks, was hard to miss. He trotted to keep pace with Uli as she wove her way through the last trees and onto the dirt path that meandered through the settlement.

Link readjusted his grip on the heavy basket he carried as he followed her soft footed strides into the daub and waddle house situated near the rise in the little valley. It was near the villages goat pasture and backed by a wall of granite rock that made up the high-rise along the hollow's border, and the woods.

The door gave its usual squeak as she opened it and it settled, protesting, on well worn hinges. Uli put Colin down and he scampered off to play with his carved wooden soldiers. Link hurried to place the basket down, intent upon finishing his chores early so he could sneak off into the woods before he would meet up with Ilia at lunch as he had promised.

Uli must have noticed his hurry for she smiled at him.

"What's the grand haste for?"

He paused for a moment, feeling the sudden desire to let her in on his secret, but decided against it. He did not want anyone knowing about it quite yet.

"I want to finish my chores early so I can meet with Ilia," he told her hopefully.

"Alright," she said, her smile widening. Then she looked towards the pile of fresh herbs before continuing.

"Do you think you could lend a hand in hanging these up before you go? I want this chore out of the way so I can get started on that pie I am going to be making in honor of Rusl's return. If all goes well on his journey back, he should be here by sunset. I wanted to make something special for him."

Link suddenly felt his stomach drop in a sudden twinge of nervousness. Not even the promise of pie could bring back the light excited mood he had harbored only seconds ago- so quickly snatched by her passing mention. How could he have forgotten? It had only been four days ago when the courier had ridden to Ordon with the news. Even if he had not known this, he probably could have guessed something of the kind, just by Uli's mood today. It was that and the happy, almost longing, look in eyes and gentle smile. She was beyond ecstatic at the prospect of her husband's return and all he could feel was that gnawing sense of apprehension.

Link was an orphan. His parents died when he was very young and he had been taken in by Rusl and his wife Uli and basically all the other villagers when he had been around five years old. The village of Ordon was small and so everyone there was nearly as close a family. Uli though, had always been the closest thing he had to a mother. So, logically, that could, or should, almost mean that Rusl was the closest thing he had to a father.

Although that fact should have made him feel more at ease, it did not. Link hardly knew him. He had left Ordon several months after the village of Ordon had taken Link in. It was then that Rusl had accepted his commission as one of Hyrule's soldiers and each tour of duty lasted about seven years. It was only when those seven years were up that he would finally be free of his commission.

Link had, of course, seen Rusl a few times during his seven year military commission, when he came home to visit his wife. But that was hardly enough time to actually get to know him.

It went a little deeper than that for him also. Link had the annoying hindrance of being a little shy and tongue tied around strangers and Rusl was almost exactly that. Rusl had always come off as grim and forbidding. To add to all of this Rusl was a warrior, a soldier, and, in the eyes of common folk, they commanded respect. To say that Link felt a little nervous around him would be an understatement. Consequently, when Rusl had come for his infrequent visits with Uli during his short military leave periods, Link had always managed to find an excuse to sleep over at his friend Ilia's house. It was not really something he was proud of, but he could not help his tendency to be on the shy side.

Now that Rusl was returning to Ordon for good, it was likely that he would be returning to his usual job as the village blacksmith. It was this which brought on the sinking feeling that resided in the pit of Link's stomach. It was a Hyrulian custom, in the more rural areas of the kingdom, that when a boy, or sometimes a girl, reached thirteen years of age they were considered and chosen for apprenticeships. They would be trained by the village craft masters to inherit the skills needed to become a master themselves. It was important to choose wisely for whatever occupation they trained in would generally serve as their occupation for life.

He could be trained under Jaggle as a carpenter, or under Hanch as a miller or shopkeeper. He could be trained as a farmer, or even an apprentice goatherd. Though Link did not remember much before the blacksmith's military commission, he still dearly wanted to go under Rusl's tutelage. The blacksmith's trade interested him more than anything else in the village. Also, Rusl was a soldier, a warrior, and those would be skills that he would pass down as well. And, for some reason he could not explain, he felt and odd connection to the idea of learning those skills- an odd sense that it was or should be a part of him. It was true, however, that his desire also sprang from the knowledge that Rusl was Uli's husband. Link wanted almost nothing more than to have someone he could consider a father, or, at the very least, a craft's master.

What would Rusl think of him when he returned that night? What did he think of him already? How would Rusl see him now that he had an actual son of his own? It was painful to think it, but Link had never actually been a son to anyone in the traditional sense. He was almost like a ward of the village. Even Ilia's father, the mayor, was like a sort of surrogate uncle, but he could not help but want something more.

His mouth furrowed into a small frown as he thought onward. What if Rusl wanted his own son to succeed him the blacksmith business? It was a common enough occurrence to keep skills within the family. There was also another risk; Link was not the only young one coming of apprentice age in the village. He shook his head clear of the thoughts, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

Uli seemed not to notice his sudden change of mood, so happy was she with the prospect of her husband's impending return. Consequently, Link soon found himself volunteered into various other extra tasks he had not intended to partake in before he managed to slip away. By that time, he was already late in meeting Ilia.

**~x~X~x~**

Link sat on the edge of the goat pasture, leaning against a fence post. The soft scent of sun touched grass and earth stirred gently in the late summer breeze to mingle with the scent of the meat pie that Ilia had brought for a late lunch, turned afternoon snack.

Ilia, with her blond hair and pretty green eyes, sat in front of him smiling, as friendly as ever. To her immediate left sat Fado, a village boy only a few months older than Link, and Link's self proclaimed rival. They were the only kids around their age in the entire village- but that did not mean that they all were on the best of terms. Well, Ilia was on the best of terms with both of them and often had to play the part of peacekeeper when Link and Fado were concerned. The two boys had never quite gotten off well with each other.

Ilia was akin to a sister to Link, and he felt her concerned gaze upon him as he picked distractedly at the second helping of food in front of him. He had never been one to pass up seconds, and he had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what was bothering him.

"Are you nervous about Rusl's return?" she asked softly.

He had thought about denying it, but resigned himself to nodding ascent when she asked. It was hardly more than two weeks ago when he expressed a desire to be taken on as Rusl's apprentice.

"It's alright if you are," she said encouragingly.

Fado snorted suddenly, his still childish face breaking into a grin.

"I think he should be a bit more than nervous. I mean Link getting picked for a blacksmith's apprentice," he scoffed lightly and then turned directly to Link. "You are far too weak and small."

"I'm not," Link protested, flushing.

Fado was already half as tall as the adults and half as muscular. He had already been gifted with broad strong shoulders and a sturdy frame. With his curly light brown hair and strong face, he cut the perfect figure of a youth in a rural village. This meant that, when harvest day came and the day apprentices were chosen dawned, practically every door would be opened to him. There was no doubt that he would be first choice of any craft's masters seeking an apprentice. To the people of the village, he would be the prime choice. Whereas Link, slight of figure and comparatively small of stature, knew he would probably be stuck with second pick in any circumstance. Link knew this and so, unfortunately, did Fado.

"I can just picture you now, wielding a blacksmith's hammer," Fado continued smugly, "or at least trying to." He mimed lifting a heavy hammer and then falling backwards because of its staggering weight.

It was Fado's latest favorite taunt, ever since he had overheard Link privately confessing his wish to Ilia. It had even taken precedence over 'pointy ears,' and all other jibes along the same subject, which Fado had taken up when he realized that Link was the only one in Ordon with a Hylain's pointed ears. It had been this way as long as he could remember; the both of them nursing malice that sprang from remembered slights against each other.

Though Link was rather lanky, he was not by any means weak, farm work made sure of that. However, when compared to Fado… Link scowled as Fado laughed at his witticism and Link's own feeble comeback.

"Of course you'll grow, but it won't be fast enough. You will never have grown enough by mid-fall; you're too thin and small."

"Well at least a lack of height and muscles is an improvement on a lack of brains," Link shot back with a smirk.

It took a moment but, within the span of a second, the full import of Link's jibe hit Fado and the bigger boy flushed with anger. His brows came down heavily over his eyes in a scowl. His wide eyes narrowed and for a tense moment there was silence. Ilia watched the byplay between them silently, and seemed to grow increasingly uncomfortable with the direction all this seemed to be going. She stared at the two of them, the dread she felt evidenced upon her face. Link noticed this, and normally he might have felt a little ashamed but, as it was now, he was far too angry.

"You know what I think?" Fado asked, finally ending the potent quiet that had grown between them.

There was a small grin forming on his lips as he finally thought of what to say.

"I think that maybe you want more than just to be his apprentice. I think you want to be like his son, or at least close to it. It won't happen. Because, in case you haven't noticed, he has his own son now and he means a whole lot more to Rusl than you ever could."

Link's mouth dropped open and he stared dumbstruck at Fado. For a moment he could hardly think. He felt as if he had been hit. He would never admit it to Fado how much what he had said hurt. The closeness of the remark to his own insecurities played on his fears and emotions. And that was what made it so truly painful- painful to have someone stomp on his secret dream. He did not deny what Fado had said, it was far too close. The pain of it all built until he could hold it in little better than, and with the same lack of poise as, his tongue. He stiffened and stood.

"Maybe that's what you want, because I don't see you having a father either."

That was too much for Fado to take and he leaped to his feet also. He had lost his father around the same time that Link had lost his own parents. Fado's face was beyond flushed with rage now and he lunged at Link amidst the sound of Ilia's cry for them to stop.

This was how things usually went between them. Link had a bit of a quicker wit and a hint of snark that Fado could not dream to match. Fado may have been bigger and a little stronger but Link was as quick as his tongue and he usually found his agility enough to even out Fado's advantage when it came to strength. It also gave him the added option of a quick retreat. If things were going badly for him, or he didn't feel like fighting, he could usually make it to the forest before the bigger boy could even think to catch him. Once in the woods, he found it easy enough to lose him, thanks to Uli's lessons in woodcraft. He would usually wait in the safety of the forest long enough for things to blow over.

But this time it was not to be. This time Link had pushed his luck just a little too far for a perfect quick escape. He jumped to the side to dodge Fado but his foot caught on a stiff clump of grass. The milliseconds it took to regain his footing was all the time it took for Fado to finish his charging leap and catch him by the ankle.

Link tumbled to the ground and Fado threw himself on top of him. His fist slammed hard into the side of Link's face. Link twisted furiously underneath him and managed to free a foot, which he promptly used to kick Fado in the jaw. Fado reeled backwards and Link scampered to his feet. Everything went downhill from there as both boys threw themselves at each other.

This time around Fado took the brunt of the hit and the pair of them flew hard into the gate of the goat's holding pen. The impact cracked the well-worn latch, causing the gate to swing inwards. They both fell into the pen. Their fight continued on in a furious barrage, similar to the way two tom cats would brawl over territory, with far more frenzy than actual skill or prowess.

Ilia could take no more of this and her motherly, borderline bossy, nature came out with a vengeance as she ran after them, yelling for them to stop for all she was worth. Looking back, Link thought she might even have tried to physically pry them apart from each other, despite the fact she was smaller than both of them. But she never got the chance.

In the midst of their furious fight, Link and Fado rolled into the herd's lead goat, catching the large peacefully grazing animal in the crossfire of their petty brawl.

Ordon goats were different from their smaller milder mannered cousins. They were at least twice as large as a typical goat and they could get twice as mean if provoked. They were rather similar to an enraged bull when angry. And, with their large horns, they could nearly be as deadly.

The large shaggy animal reared up in surprise and then charged forward, narrowly missing the two brawling youngsters and the girl. The spooked, furious goat hurtled towards the now open gate and headed full tilt towards the villager's houses. Because this was the lead animal, several other of the herd followed suit.

Still, Link and Fado did not stop their fight, so lost were they in their own bruised feelings. So intent were they on avenging themselves upon each other, they missed the stampeded they started, Ilia's desperate shouts and even the cries of the villagers below as they tried to save their gardens, fields and livestock.

They only snapped back into reality when a strong pair of hands grabbed each of them by the backs of their tunics and pulled them roughly apart.

Link felt all the fury that had been driving him fade instantly as he finally became aware of his surroundings. He felt his eyes widen and a feeling of dread worm its way into his chest as he took in the carnage he had had a hand in causing. That small feeling of dread was nothing compared to the horror that completely overtook him when he caught sight of the person who had pulled them apart. The man set the pair of them down, none to gently.

The man was neither tall nor short and, for a former blacksmith, his muscles were certainly not overly large or excessively built. But for all that, his from was lithe and gave off the impression of ready strength.

Link gulped and forced himself to look into Rusl's face, for it was none other than he. His face was as stern as Link remembered it usually being. He had short dark golden hair, and a cropped beard that framed a disapproving mouth set in a grim line that offset a strong jaw. The effect was to make him look all together foreboding and ominous.

Rusl's cold eyes fixed themselves onto the pair of them and Link could just feel the disappointment emanating off the man. Link felt himself slinking backwards under the penetrating gaze. He had no idea how Rusl had come to be there. He was not supposed to have come back until around sunset. He must have doubled his pace to reach the village so much earlier than anticipated. Not that any of that really mattered in the scheme of things, Link realized suddenly. The problem was that he was here now. He had caught him in the act of fighting, disturbing, and quite possibly losing the village's precious livestock. That in turn meant the end to all of Link's hopes of making a good impression. It dashed his dreams to somehow prove he was worth notice as something more than a pathetic clinging orphan with nothing. His wish of somehow endearing himself to this man was as shriveled now as a weed perishing without water. He had utterly blown it.

Rusl straightened, and for the first time Link became aware of the sword strapped to the man's waist and his soldier's uniform. He stood as tall and immovable as the soldier he was, which made him look even more grim, if that was at all possible.

Link took another backwards step and felt himself deflate completely. He hung his head, practically cringing with the shame and embarrassment of his actions.

Rusl did not say anything, he did not have to. It was obvious he was disappointed. So was Ilia- probably the whole village as well. But none of their disappointment could rival the disappointment he felt in himself. The broken fence, the missing goats, the bruise on Fado's cheek and the ones on his own, the yelling of the villagers below, the gentle reproachful shake of Ilia's head, all compounded themselves in a welling rush of humiliation and regret that could not be quelled. He had ruined everything in a single act of anger and lack of self control.

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**A/N:** I would very much love to get some reviews, I love getting feedback! (as I am practicing my short story writing skills) XD Apologies for any mistakes I might have missed in my proof read, I try really hard to get them all but that never seems to quite cover it. Also I apologize if things seem to tend towards OOC at the moment, but I am rather enjoying telling my idea about how the characters come to be what they are by the time Twilight Princess takes place. It gives me some room for character development and a story without character development is often so very flat and uninteresting. I hope you will bear with me, and hope that the characters don't seem unreasonably far off. Thanks again for reading! I wish you all the most blessed of weeks until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hello everybody! Here is chapter two, the chapter in which everything really beings to move along. Today I shall give you all the moment you have been waiting for: the main conflict XD I hope you all enjoy! Also, thank you to everyone who, followed, favorite(ed) and reviewed, it totally brightens my day!

**silverheartlugia2000**: Yes you definitely can! XD thanks for the review.

**NoSignalBlueScreen:** Thank you so much for the compliment and the review. I am glad to hear that it came across well. You have to wait no longer XD thanks again!

**Yami no Nokutan:** awwww shucks X) that is nice of you to say. Well don't worry, I am planning some things and they still have much of their childhood ahead of them, that is if they survive this chapter XD Thank you for the review!

**Arison Nakaru:** Yeah that is definitely something that Link needs to work on XD Thank you for the review!

**LovelyKiridia:** Yeah that would have been a pretty awful ending XD Their punishment won't be too awful, and mostly had to do with fixing all that destruction. Thank you so much for the review!

Aso special thanks to: **Storm Dragon Wolf Princess**, **Twilight16**, and **DoctorZelda **your reviews and support made my day :)

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**The Reihmag**

Link stood beside Fado and stared dejectedly at his feet. This was definitely not his first time being in trouble. Several harmless pranks and stealing a few pastries had landed him in messes before, but it had never been this serious before. Also, the stakes had never been that high before, at least, not for him. He didn't need to look up at the faces of the adults before him to know what he would find in their gazes.

All the goats had been safely returned to their pasture, but not before Pergie's pumpkin patch and her garden had been trampled. That was an irreparable mistake, but, the fact that many of the goats could have been lost, was nearly unforgivable in this village where livestock was a precious as gold.

Link stood silently as he waited for some form of remonstration to descend upon him. It was not long in coming. The mayor himself stepped forward and spoke in his forthright, yet pondering way. Mayor Bo was a large man, and under normal circumstances he had a rather easygoing nature, but that was nowhere to be seen today.

"I expected so much more from both of you. You know that what you did could have endangered the town, and even yourselves. You both could have been severely hurt, as well as others in this village. Also, you know my position on brawling." It was a statement of fact. The pair of them had been called out before, but as Link had thought earlier, not on a level such as this.

Link knew he could try to shift the blame to Fado. But he shook those thoughts from his head before they went any further. He was responsible for his actions and the cost they caused. He set his jaw and stood straight. He had made a mistake and was willing to take the consequences of his actions. He genuinely regretted them and wished to make it up if he could.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry sir," he hung his head.

"Would either of you care to explain yourselves?" the Mayor asked.

Neither Link nor Fado spoke and the mayor sighed. 'Boys,' he thought peevishly, always and forever fighting with one another.

"Then I want you to make and end of this, right now. Apologize."

Link glanced at Fado, as unwilling as the other boy was to make the first move. True, he considered himself at fault for the part he played, but he was in no way willing to forgive Fado for his own part in their fight, and Fado seemed just as unforgiving as he. Neither of them moved until Bo took a step towards them, his eyebrows drawing downwards.

Both boys hastily turned and apologized simultaneously. Link, however, could still see the resentment burning in the other boy's eyes. Fado obviously did not mean it, and Link couldn't say that he really did either. Though, his defiance melted a little when he saw Rusl and Uli at the far edge of the ring of adults. In that instant, the shame and disappointment that his anger had previously made him forget came flooding suddenly back.

~x~X~x~

It was late and the full moon's face was shining brightly through the window of the loft Link shared with Colin in Uli's house. The silvery luminescence drove sleep even further away from his restless mind. His constant thinking was making him as mentally weary as he was physically. In recompense for that afternoon's fiasco he and Fado had been sent to Pergie's garden to try and fix the damage they had done and save as many plants as they could. It had been hard almost ceaseless work. To add to that, they had both missed much of Rusl return feast before they were finally finished.

When they did finally make it to the feast, Link had tried to fit in with the rest of the party like Fado, but he had felt almost disconnected from everyone. His lost dream only seemed to serve to make him feel even more out of place than usual. If he was honest with himself, he realized that he never felt like he did belong completely. Everyone else had family or at least knew who their family was. He was welcome everywhere in the village, but he never actually felt like he belonged anywhere. He had hoped getting accepted as an apprentice and proving himself would have helped, but that hope was gone now, at least for the occupation he wanted.

His thoughts were a tumultuous stream in his head and he rolled over, unable to find a comfortable spot. He wondered wryly how his life had managed to knot itself so thoroughly. Sighing, he gave up trying to sleep and descended the ladder to get a drink of water from the water basin in the kitchen. As he did so, he became aware of the muffled strains of conversation coming from outside the small house. He turned in the direction of the sound and saw the yellow glow of lantern light seeping through the window from outside.

Curiosity soon got the better of him. He crept silently towards the window and looked out. It was nearly completely dark inside the small house so he had no fear of being seen, especially not since those outside had a light. There was a crack in the wood under the window's seal so, from his position, he could hear the words spoken by those outside. They were muffled, but he could just make out the conversation.

"Are you sure of this Rusl?" Link heard Mayor Bo ask. "I thought the army had completely routed the Reihmag bandits. It was the reason you enlisted in Hyrule's army, to help end the bandit war. I was under the impression that the Reihmag were scattered into oblivion."

Reihmag; Link was familiar with the name. Parents used it often to frighten children into behaving. They were a group of bandits that had invaded Hyrule from the north. But, even before they even set foot in Hyrule their name had been almost legendary. They were a near army sized band of raiders that invaded towns and provinces far enough away from a kingdom's main defensive points to forestall any immediate opposition. They would basically take over a town or village and take what they pleased, resources, stores, livestock, and even subjugating the people there, treating them as slaves, untill they had bled the place of all it's resources and then move on to the next town or village.

They were not fools about it, they did not stay in any one area too long. They would be gone before the kingdom got word or rallied its army to take back the town, defend its people, and rout the bandits.

Hyrule had been struck as hard as the kingdom where the bandits hailed from, but Hyrule's king had been just as smart as the soon as it was confirmed that they had breached the kingdom's borders, he had treated the situation as if it were war. He had his standing army ready and opened enlistment for civilians to join the army, with the promise of a good wage. Many Hyrulians saw it at a good opportunity for themselves both monetarily and to defend their families and homes. That had included Rusl. Within a year, the Reihmag had been driven out of the country, scattered. Unfortunately, the leader of the bandits had escaped and so the threat of them returning had not eased. The kingdom had kept the civilian soldiers for their seven year term in order to guard the kingdom's borders.

"Most of my fellow soldiers' commissions ended when mine did," Rusl was saying and Link focused back on their conversation. "As of now, the kingdom's army is back to its original size. The bandit leader is still out there and he is no fool. He would see this as a perfect opportunity to come back. Though his followers are severely depleted now, since we first drove them from our borders and kept them in check, under Thann, their leader, they could still be deadly to a small province far from the kingdom center. During my last day of posting, we received some uncertain reports of their movements that suggested they might be gathering again near the southern borders."

Link felt his eyes widen at the thought. A cold hand of fear griped suddenly at his heart. The Reihmag were said to be utterly ruthless.

"But they are just rumors and inconclusive suspicion so far?" mayor Bo asked.

Rusl nodded, and Link let out a breath of relief.

"I just thought it best to call this meeting to inform everyone. It never hurts to be too cautious in times like these."

"Indeed not," Bo said nodding, shifting his stance to accommodate his tendency to be on the portly side as his feet got tired. "We are more than grateful to hear this. What do you suggest Rusl?"

"I suggest posting a watch until we are certain the reports are false."

There came a murmur of agreement from the other's gathered nearby.

Their conversation grew suddenly quiet after that and Link strained to hear more, only to realize that they must have been closing their impromptu meeting and bidding each other farewell. He realized this when he saw Rusl turn suddenly and stride back to the house while the group of villagers parted company.

Link ducked as quickly as he could and tried to make a dash for the ladder but knew he would not make it. He heard Rusl's hand on the latch. The last thing he needed now was to further prove himself an irresponsible child with no respect for the rules or his elders by getting caught eavesdropping. He was already in enough trouble. Knowing he would not make it, he headed back to the water bucket to cover his actions and made it just in time. He reached the basin just as Rusl opened the door. Unsurprisingly, he noticed Link immediately.

"Link," he said mildly almost like a greeting.

Link looked up to see something like interest in the man's eyes. That was surprising when he had expected a reaction more along the line of anger Link blinked and the look was gone.

"The hour is late," Rusl said simply.

Link flushed slightly, "I couldn't sleep," he said lamely, by way of explanation. He partially expected to see the disappointment from earlier in the man's dark gaze, and was surprised when he did not.

Rusl merely nodded at his explanation. Slightly puzzled, but mostly relieved, Link turned to leave but was halted by Rusl's soft gently accented voice.

"Link, I don't know what got into you and Fado today...and as a soldier, I cannot tell you not to fight, but only tell you to pick the right time and place, and most specifically the right reason. I would tell you to use discernment to choose carefully what battles you fight or you could hurt those around you. A wise person does not merely lash out, unless there is no other option, and a man of honor always seeks to defend others before himself. Understand?" the words were soft and the noticeable highland bur that always stole into the man's voice when he was earnest, alerted Link to the seriousness of his words. Most people of Hyrule's outer provinces had that slight accent to their words but Rusl's was more than noticeable when he was serious or angry.

Link nodded, feeling his heart sink slightly. Rusl obviously thought he had hardly self control or respect, and quite possibly even that he was bordering on a fool who lacked all honor. He definitely had not made any sort of a good impression at all.

Again, that feeling of not belonging hit him. He had wanted so badly to earn Rusl's regard and he felt that he had let Rusl down as much as himself. He turned again to leave again. As soon as his feet were on the first rung of the ladder, he heard Rusl speak again.

"And Link," he said almost casually, "It would probably be best if you kept the knowledge about the bandits to yourself until Mayor Bo officially announces it."

Link felt himself flushing deeper as he made his way back to his bed. He fell asleep wondering how Rusl knew exactly what he had been up to.

~x~X~x~

The next day was rather uneventful for Link. He was kept busy with various other fixing jobs that pertained to the destruction he had helped wreak the day before. The adults were busy holding a meeting and changing their work schedules to accommodate, so Link guessed, keeping up a watch and, possibly, organizing defenses.

Ordon, Link knew, was backed by mountains and fronted by a deep gorge that cut its way through the woods. So, if bandits did come, they would probably invade by crossing the thick well maintained rope bridge that spanned the chasm. Ilia had listened in on some of the adults' conversation before they had caught her at it. She had said that they had decided to put the watch at the bridge and, if worse came to worse, they would cut the bridge before the bandits could cross. That is, if the bandits had any intentions of coming to Ordon. Most of the villagers didn't really believe that they would.

After the meeting, life in the village, aside from the new watch, went back to normal. Most people seemed, for the most part, totally unperturbed by the dark nature of that morning's meeting. Rusl however, appeared even more serious than usual. He had taken to pacing when he was idle. All about him seemed to be a sense of waiting.

Link did not know how to feel exactly, but he was leaning towards anxious. Something was just not sitting well with him. It was almost a sense of something off in the air. If he was to liken it to something, he might have said it was akin to the way a deer would suddenly catch scent of a predator upwind. He did not know if he was responding to Rusl's wariness of their situation or if the feeling was his own. Even if he did not feel an unsettling weight in his heart, he would have been inclined to trust Rusl's judgment. From what he had seen, the man verged on uncanny.

Regardless of the reason, the fact that the feeling was there only heightened his terror, later that evening, when Jaggle the carpenter came racing headlong into the village, shouting an alarm at the top of his voice.

Rusl had been helping to fasten a new latch on the goat pen when he heard the sound of Jaggle's cry. Knowing that the carpenter was the one who had taken the watch, Rusl felt his heart sink slightly even as he dropped what he was working on and sprinted down the hill to the village.

"What is it Jag?" he asked as he caught sight of the man.

"Bandits!" the man gasped between ragged breaths.

Rusl could see perspiration on the dark haired man's brow and the terror in his eyes. He was instantly glad that it was the carpenter who had brought the news. Even in the worst of situations Jaggle could be counted on to give a quick and accurate report without hysterics. He had always been good at keeping a relatively level head despite his fears.

"They made it to the bridge! They are probably already across by now!" the man gasped.

"You didn't cut the ropes?" Rusl asked in a near horror stricken voice.

Jaggle shook his head. There was a silent apology mixed in with the desperation in his gaze.

"I tried, but they had archers. They saw me about the same time I saw them. They would have shot me before I even managed to sever one of the support ropes. They nearly got me a few times when I was escaping as it was."

As if in proof of his claim, Rusl suddenly became aware of the sight of a barbed shaft of an arrowhead protruding though the side of the goatskin vest the carpenter wore. Rusl felt his stomach drop at the sight and at the news the man had just told him.

"How many men?" Rusl asked his tone flat and urgent.

"I couldn't say for sure, but I think about thirty."

Rusl's breath caught. It was true that that number was nowhere near the numbers that the Reihmag boasted in their height, but, as it was, it was nearly two of the invaders for every one villager and that included the children. There was no way they could fend off so many on their own. It took Rusl only milliseconds to see the only sure course of action left to them now. Though he knew it would leave his wife, son and other villagers in harm's way, he saw no other option. Both Mayor Bo and himself were the only ones in Ordon who could claim they were experienced fighters. There was no way they could stand against thirty trained warriors alone.

Because the Reihmag preferred subjugating people to total slaughter he knew he had a small amount of time to try what he was planning. He would need to get help from Hyrule's garrison. Rusl swore to himself then and there that he would get it done. Unfortunately, to do so, he would have to get out of Ordon without getting captured and that would be more than difficult. His mind made up, he turned back to Jaggle.

"Jag, I need you to warn the rest of the village, see if you can get them out of here before it is too late. I am going to try and break through to get help from the Hyrule soldiers." He did not know if they could rally the village in time, but it was worth a try. Turning, Rusl saw Link standing not ten paces away, wide eyed and pale. "Link, I need you to help warn everyone."

The boy hesitated for a moment and then raced off. Rusl nodded to himself, knowing instantly that Link would see it done. The boy had always shown initiative and wits as well as heart and courage. With that, Rusl ran to his house. He burst through the door and grabbed his sword from the inside wall. Uli was nowhere in sight. Perhaps that was a good thing Rusl thought wryly. With sword in hand, he dashed headlong into the woods.

Even as he entered the trees, he became aware of the sound of many feet tramping, coming from the direction of the north road that led to the village. He closed his eyes briefly. He knew then that no matter how fast Link and Jaggle delivered the message, it would not be fast enough. They would never escape in time. Rusl's mouth pressed thinly in a grim line as he realized he was now the village's last hope of getting help before everything was destroyed.

Rusl ran through the trees at breakneck speed, bypassing the main road and the road to the spring entirely, as he headed for the bridge. He slowed his pace as he drew nearer and stopped in the shadow of an oak as soon as the bridge came in sight. There were five men standing in the clearing, all of whom were armed with swords and several knifes. He held perfectly still and listened. As he watched, the fifth man strode purposefully to the other four.

"Thann wants you to cut the bridge. He intends to use this village as a place to regain some of our strength, and the less chance there is of Hyrule soldiers coming to its peoples' aid, the better," the man said in a low voice before striding back down the path that led to the village.

As soon as he was out of sight, the four remaining men turned to obey. The first of them was already drawing his sword.

If the bridge was cut, then the only way out of Ordon would be to go through the mountains that cradled the village. Rusl was a forester and he knew the quickest and safest paths through the mountains. But even the quickest paths would take days more than he was willing to give. With those thoughts in mind to drive him forward, Rusl broke cover silently.

He drove the pummel of his sword hard into the head of the man closest to him before any of the bandits were even aware of his presence. One of the bandit's companions, however, turned at the cracking sound of metal on bone. He was not quick enough though, and was subdued by a swift kick to his jaw. The last two bandits were upon Rusl in an instant.

Rusl was familiar with the way the Reihmag fought and was confident that he could take them. He hefted his sword, holding it lightly, almost carelessly in his hand as he felt the perfect balance. His sword met that of the two remaining bandits with a ring of steel on steel. Rusl flicked aside the bandit's preliminary strokes with the ease of one who was a veteran in the arts of blade work. He moved his broadsword with surprising speed for its weight. He wielded his weapon with almost contemptuous ease, as if it were an extension of himself. The two bandits began to give ground before his relentless attack.

Rusl, spying a sudden opening, swung his sword in a wide twisting arc of continuous motion, gathering a massive amount of force from the momentum behind it. He sent his blade crashing hard into the hilt of one of the bandit's curved sabers. The massive force of the strike knocked the weapon from the man's hand and sent him reeling.

Rusl then focused the brunt of his attack upon the remaining man. He was about to close in on another opening when he saw a movement from the corner of his eye. The bandit he had disarmed had risen to his feet. Rusl leaped to the side just as the disarmed man drew and threw one of his many daggers. Rusl's fast side step took him out of the dagger's path, but the second swordsman was not so lucky. The dagger took him in the chest and he fell with a shocked cry. After that, it was easy enough to subdue the knife thrower.

Rusl sheathed his blade, turned quickly from the field of combat and made for the bridge, intending to cross before reinforcements arrived. He was more than halfway across the gently swaying edifice when the wooden and rope construction gave a jarring shudder. Rusl turned just in time to that see that one of the bandits he had knocked senseless had recovered. The bandit slashed hard again at the thick rope on the left side of the bridge. The bridge went slack on that side and started to slant and twist precariously. The rough movement threw Rusl to his knees. He griped hard at the floorboard planking beneath him. For a moment all he could see was the dizzying drop of the chasm below him before there was another jolt accompanied by a twanging sound.

The right side's ropes were cut by another few desperate swings of the bandit's blade. With nothing left to support the bridge on the bandit's side of the chasm, Rusl found himself swinging down and forward towards the opposite side of the gorge wall as the bridge began to fall. Rusl gripped the slats of the floorboards hard as the bridge hurtled headlong towards the chasm wall where the ropes still held.

~x~X~x~

Link practically cowered behind Uli's skirts. One of her hands lay protectively on his back, her other hand held her son Colin close to her body. The villagers of Ordon had tried to escape, but they hadn't gotten far before they were all rounded up and driven like livestock to the village center. They all huddled together fearfully, ringed in by almost thirty men, all of whom were armed to the teeth and beyond dangerous.

Suddenly one man, taller and better dressed than the others, pushed his way through the bandits. His bandits, Link mentally corrected himself, for this was obviously the leader. If his finer clothes and stature had not declaimed his dominance, then his cold manner of command and the way the other bandits treated him with a sort of fearful deference, would have told Link well enough.

The man was well built with a clean-shaven face which was scarred in a few places. He had dark hair and eyes that reminded Link of a snake's: cold, calculating, and dangerous. Once the man saw he had everyone's attention he spoke. His voice was deep, raspy and as cold as his eyes, Link thought. Mixed in with his commanding tone, there was also a tone of callous arrogance- almost as if he considered the people he was addressing to be some lower form of life.

"People of Ordon," he practically sneered, "I am Thann, leader or the Reihmag, now master of this town by the rights of conquest. I am here to offer you a simple choice. You can surrender to me now, become my _servants_, and live… or you can die where you stand."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all for reading! As always feedback is most appreciated. I wish you all the most blessed of weeks, until next time! **

Time for one of my infamous history geek's moments XD : For those who caught it, yes, I did sort of name the bandits group title after that of the Nazi's secret underground bunker/warehouse in World War II. It was dug into a hill/mountain side by concentration camp victims and prisoners of war. (Many of whom died hollowing out the inside of that mountain in poor/brutal conditions.) The Nazi's intended to use it as a place where they could begin mass producing the world's first operational jet propelled fighter (the Messerschmitt Me 262) in a place safe from Allied bombers (as they were systematically destroying all of Germany's airfields and aircraft factories.) Despite their best efforts and use of slave labor, the bunker was not completed before the war's end and only a handful of the jets ever took off from there. Though superior in every way to the allied fighters, there were not enough of them to turn the sky war in the Nazi's favor in time. But their first jet did lay the foundations for the jet fighters we have today. Sorry for the long/geeky explanation, I tend to get carried away, especially when it comes to weapon history. X)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hello everybody, I pray that you are having awesome weeks! As always, thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoy! :)

**Arison Nakaru:** Well he is Link and Link can't be anything but himself XD Yes Fado is going to want to be a part of things too. Thank you for the review!

**Yami no Nokutan:** Yay! You caught it! Thank you for pointing that out. I shall go over it when I get the time. Things have become a tad bit crazy for me lately. Rusl XD I am enjoying writing his confrontations with Link, and you may find out how later. Here is more so that you may know what is going to happen. X) thanks for the review!

**dario. flaman:** Link shall definitely do his best in the butt-kicking department XD Thanks for the review!

**silverheartlugia2000:** yup wolfboy is in a bit of a predicament, and so is Rusl, now the fun bit for me shall be trying to write them out of it XD. Thanks for the review :)

**Storm Dragon Wolf Princess:** Yay! You heard it before :) It makes me so happy to hear that you liked it. I guess Link has problems containing his curiosity XD Thanks for the review. :)

**Scarlet Curls:** Oh hi! It made my day to get two reviews from you :) I'm glad you liked it so far. Oh, I'm sorry about that finals are terrible and to have a cold on top of that. I hope you feel better soon. I have often stayed up at night reading when I couldn't sleep because of being sick XD. Thank you for telling me about the typos (I hate them so much DX) Yeah I have history nerd issues sometimes, I am glad you like the history reference despite it not being your favorite thing to do in your free time. Thanks for the compliments and the review!

* * *

**Of Tentative Alliances and Risky Plans**

Rusl clung grimly to the wooden boards of the bridge as he collided with the opposing wall of the gorge. The impact and resulting jolt of the clash nearly jarred his grip loose. As soon as the motion stopped, Rusl began climbing up the floorboards of the rope bridge, which dangled uselessly from one side of the chasm.

If the slats of the floorboards had not been laid so close together, it might have been like climbing a ladder. But, as it was, climbing up was more than difficult. He nearly slipped, twice. The first time was when he missed his hand hold. The next time was when his enemy, on the opposing side of the gorge, narrowly missed hitting him with one of his throwing daggers. Had he slipped fully, the mistake would have been fatal. It was this knowledge which drove him to a higher level of focus and exertion.

Teeth clenched and muscles heaving, Rusl managed to drag himself over the lip of the chasm. Once he had attained safe ground, he pushed himself to his feet and raced off into Faron woods, followed swiftly by the arching path of another throwing knife. The narrow blade landed harmlessly in his wake. Rusl pushed forward at an incredible pace and was soon clear of the bandit's range. Grimacing with hatred, the bandit whirled on his heel and began striding purposefully back towards the newly captured village, leaving his downed companions behind.

~x~X~x~

Thann sat casually on a rather crude makeshift throne in the grandest house in the entire village. It had belonged to the mayor previously. The exact same mayor who was currently waiting on him hand a foot, rather like a personal slave. In fact he had been forcing the entire village to wait on him and his men.

He sighed and looked around himself. It was good to be back to his old ways, especially after nearly six years of living rough, scattered, disorganized, and with the constant threat of being pushed back. Finally they were living easy, with all the food and supplies they needed and wanted. The commandeering of the villagers' painstakingly woven cloth and garments were an added bonus. Nothing pleased him and his men more than having all the niceties they enjoyed and nothing hurt these shepherds and farmers more than seeing their precious animals and stores so wastefully handled. It was a double win situation. The only problem would be that all the resources in this village would be exhausted before the end of four weeks. It was very small after all.

Thann frowned suddenly. They probably would not have anywhere near four weeks to spend here. The villager who had made it across the bridge had made sure of that. That meant that he and his men would not get to exploit this village to its fullest. The thought angered him for a moment, until he philosophically accepted it. As he had thought earlier, this was a very small settlement. If he and his men took all they needed and wanted, the inhabitants would probably not last the winter. Dead villagers were of little use to him. He could hardly garner refuge and what was needed for he and his men from a ghost town. That was not the wisest move to make, especially in the event that he needed this as a stopping place in the future.

Suddenly feeling dissatisfied, he gave a short call and one of the village women, the carpenter's wife he believed, came hurrying in at his summons. Her eyes were wide with fear. From where he sat he could even see her trembling faintly, her hands worrying nervously at the hem of her apron.

"What do you require, milord?" she asked in a small voice.

He could not help but feel satisfied at her demoralized display. She was, not more than two days ago, a rather strong willed, proud, country woman, tough and stubborn. In all actuality, all of the people of Ordon had been so. It pleased him to know that the short time of his occupation had already rendered her, and the others, this way. She had seen what had happened to the miller's wife when she had displeased him. Whips were rather useful for getting lessons across that would not soon be forgotten.

"Bring me something strong to drink," he said sharply, though almost off-handedly.

The woman jumped at the tone of command in his rough voice and hurried off to do his bidding. She returned only moments later with one of the village's highest prized brews and handed it to him with almost exaggerated care and caution. The mistake of the miller's wife had served well to deter his new servers from acts of clumsiness.

"Will there be anything else, milord?" she asked as she took a step back from him and lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Yes," he said after a pause, adjusting to a more casual position. "It will be sunset in an hour and my men will require food."

She bowed again, "I will gather the other women and start to prepare the meal."

"No," Thann said, his voice growing dangerously quiet, "Word is that you are the best cook in this village. I want you prepare the meal yourself."

A ugly gleam of pleasure began to grow in his arrogant eyes as he warmed to his latest cruel idea.

"But sir," The woman stammered, "there are so many of you, how can I possibly-"

She was cut instantly short by the force and sting of his backhand blow. She was knocked backwards to the ground.

"I did not ask how you were going to accomplish it. I only told you that you were. No get going!"

Eyes wide and tearing, the woman nodded.

"Yes sir," she managed to squeak before she pulled herself upright and fled the room.

As the woman dashed out the open door, Thann became aware of another presence, standing just outside. It was a young, yet rather tall, boy with green eyes. It was obvious by his pale face and doe eyed stare that he had been watching. The well built youth flinched when he saw that he had been noticed and fled after the woman. Thann shrugged at the sight. If the boy spread tales that would make the villagers fear him more, all the better. Nobody would dare challenge him then.

~x~X~x~

Link had been assigned, by the bandits, to carry some stores of grain to Pergie's large kitchen. While her husband was the village carpenter, she was an excellent cook. Though it was on a small scale, she often used her large kitchen and spacious open dining hall much like a village ale house and restaurant. The bandits had found out about that soon enough. Link had overheard, from the bandit who had assigned him his latest task, that Thann had ordered her to cook a meal for the entirely of his men, with no help too.

Link grit his teeth in frustration as he readjusted the weight of the large sack of grain on his shoulders. He remembered well all the time spent growing, caring for, harvesting, and preparing the grain, just the year before. It was maddening that these cruel men, who had never so much as lifted a finger in a field, should reap the benefits of the villagers' hard labor.

That was maddening, but the way the invaders had been treating the people of Ordon was sickening to Link. Everyone was so terrified, too terrified to even try to stand up for themselves. He could easily see why. The penalty for rebellion was a cost that was almost too high to contemplate. He would have liked to say that he was not afraid to make a stand but the truth was, simply, that he was.

He was a coward, he supposed with a frown. The thought made him feel slightly ashamed. His thoughts wandered towards Rusl. The former soldier had risked his life to try and get a message for help out. Link felt his throat tighten at the thought of the blacksmith. None of the villagers knew whether he had made it or not. Link however was hopeful that he had. Rusl, Link thought, would probably want him to do something. He had said it was a warrior's duty to seek to defend others' lives before his own. He wondered if Rusl would be disappointed to see him cowering now with the others. But, on the other hand, Link knew he wasn't a warrior. He was just a kid and there were nearly thirty of the bandits. He did not know what he could do, if anything.

Sighing, he realized that he had made it to Pergie's house. He got a better grip on his heavy bundle and walked through the open door just as Fado was walking out. Link saw by the bag of vegetables lying near the counters that Fado had probably been assigned the same task as he.

Their eyes met. Link watched Fado warily for a moment, but was surprised to see no trace of malice there, quite to the contrary actually. Fado gave him a tight lipped smile as he passed. Link realized that Fado was probably just a nervous, scared and upset as he was. A little unsurely, Link smiled back and then was past him.

He set down his burden near where Fado had left his and caught sight of Pergie. She was slaving frantically away over a large cauldron of stew. The tantalizing smell of freshly baking bread rose from the massive stone ovens near the back of the room. Link turned away quickly, trying to give off the impression of business and purpose, so as not to draw the unwanted attention of any one of the ten bandits sitting at the pine benches and tables that lined the room. He let out a breath of relief as he passed unmolested through the doors to the outside.

He glanced around at the beautiful sun kissed afternoon around him. Obviously, the weather was affected little by the moods of the people, he thought wryly. A humorless half smile touched his lips. Whilst in the act of looking around, he was startled to see that Fado had waited up for him.

Once again Link eyed him almost warily, slightly confused. Fado had hardly ever made any sort of attempt at hospitable behavior towards him before.

"Hey Link," Fado said, rubbing the back of his head, appearing just as awkward as Link was feeling.

Link raised his eyebrows, puzzled at this sudden show of… It was not exactly friendship more of a sudden inexplicable display of amiability.

"Have you seen Ilia?" Fado suddenly blurted as he skipped formalities and jumped straight to the point.

Link winced, that was a topic of great contention with him. He knew what Fado was referring to: the black eye that the irrepressible girl was sporting, courtesy of one of a bandit's almost casual display of cruelty. His wariness was instantly replaced by anger, and both he and Fado knew that it was not directed at him this time.

"And she is not the only one, I saw Thann hitting Pergie today as well."

Link nodded. "There are few people left in the village who haven't been treated like that," he said dully. Then he looked a question at Fado and the older boy shuffled his feet.

"It just isn't right," Fado finally mumbled. "And I thought… I don't know. I thought that we or somebody should do something about it, you know."

Link eyed Fado now with something bordering almost on respect when he said this.

"So you've noticed how they are always watching the adults, but they ignore us, unless we get underfoot?" Link asked.

Fado nodded.

"And you think that this will give us a chance to try something where the others couldn't?" Link asked, both eyebrows raised in a question.

Fado shrugged and flushed, embarrassed. It sounded silly when put that way, he had to admit. What could two thirteen year olds actually do against so many.

"How?" Link asked bluntly but curiously, wondering if the bigger boy had some genius scheme or plan that he had missed.

"I thought that maybe you could think of something," Fado was staring at his feet now. "Something like that ghost prank you rigged with ropes, to scare me that one night. Or maybe the diversion prank you pulled to steal that pastry from Pergie. Or perhaps the time you thought to shoot down a hornets' nest to scare away that bear last summer." Fado was obviously feeling slightly humiliated to defer to Link like that, but his face set in determined lines and he pressed on. "I thought you might be able to think of something, something that I could help with, Ilia too. The village can't go on like this."

"There are thirty men you know," Link said mildly, a smile touching his lips.

Fado's suggestion and his surprising yet still mildly grudging faith had given Link something he hadn't experienced since the day the bandits had invaded: hope.

Fado's flush began to deepen, probably thinking that Link was mocking him. He shook his head and began to back away.

"Forget I said anything," he said defensively. "I can see it was a bad idea."

Link cut him short, "Oh, I didn't say that. I think it is worse than bad. It is downright stupid, not to mention dangerous-"

Fado, who had looked up hopefully at Link's first statement flushed again, this time with anger. He perceived Link's admission to be a criticism of himself as a person as well as his thinking skills and ideas. But the rage vanished into total surprise when Link finally finished.

"So, when do we start?" he asked, looking Fado straight in the eyes.

They weren't friends. They held little love for each other and they both knew it. But Fado had put that aside because he loved Ordon and its people, and Link was more than willing to do the same. He had wanted to do something for so long and Fado's suggestion and given him the excuse he needed to try. Perhaps, dare he even think it, the three of them could actually come up with something. But, even if they could not, he could at least say that he tried. That was better than cowering and watching helplessly as the people he cared for hurt.

He felt a thrill of adrenaline filled tension begin to rise within him. This only made him jolt in near panic when he heard the heavy clomp of some of the bandits' boots on the floorboards of Pergie's home as they headed for the door. They had obviously had enough to drink of the villagers' ale and were leaving. Link had jumped at the sound and felt his heart accelerate with terror. He was sure that in that moment both he and Fado looked as guilty as some of the kingdom's worst criminals.

"It should be a more secluded place, where the bandits don't usually come. And it should probably be at night," Fado said thoughtfully, in answer to Link's question.

"How about behind the barn in the goat pasture three hours after night fall," Link suggested, nodding at Fado's suggestion. "Bring Ilia too, if you can," Link added in a rush.

Fado nodded once in understanding. They parted company and hurried away, both trying desperately to look like they had been up to nothing and were diligently doing nothing but what they were supposed to.

Link was positive that the whole village would be privy to the frantic pulsing beat of his heart. It sounded over loud in his ears the whole time it took to pass through the length of the village to Uli's house. Once inside the small cottage, his breathing and heartbeat relaxed a little.

As his urgency drained away, so too did his confidence and faith in his bold words and thoughts of earlier. How could he have even thought that they could have even the slightest chance of besting thirty men without getting themselves killed in the process. What if they were caught? What if they failed, or Din forbid, made things worse? They did not stand a chance. Was it even worth the risk when he knew that?

Then Link's mind wandered back to Rusl. If Rusl were here what would he do? Would he take such a risk with such a high chance of failure? Link thought about how he had tried to break through the Reihmag's lines to get help, and decided that he probably would.

Link had no idea how this had come about, but the thought of gaining Rusl's approval meant the world to him. What would Rusl tell him to do were he here? Link was pretty sure he knew the answer to that already. He was also pretty sure that Rusl would not forgive him if he were to simply sit and do nothing. That was not the path of a truly honorable warrior. But how would Rusl fight back successfully?

A soldier might attack his enemy outright, but although Fado was strong and a decent brawler, and Link and Ilia were fast and agile, the three of them could probably only take out one man at best and get themselves killed at their first move at worst. Somehow, Link did not think that Rusl would try something along those lines though. Especially not, he recalled, after hearing the blacksmith's words a few nights ago. _"As a soldier, I cannot tell you not to fight, but only tell you to pick the right time and place, and, most specifically, the right reason."_

Link knew he definitely had a right reason this time. But it was the part about picking the right time and place that was sticking out to him now. Every advantage lay with the enemy, so instinctively Link knew he would have to find a way to fight on his own terms. He needed to pick a time, place, and method, that would guarantee that he, Fado, and Ilia would come out on top. The problem was that he simply did not know how to do that.

Frustrated, Link let out an exasperated breath and looked out the window to see Uli hanging out fresh herbs on her clothesline to dry. The Reihmag had not left her unscathed. They had raided her stores of healing herbs and had stolen a supply that had taken her the better part of a year to gather, what with all the different places and growing seasons of all the different plants. She had been forced to start her collection again, almost from scratch.

Almost of their own accord, Link's eyes swiveled from the primrose leaves and roots she was hanging to a neatly tied clump of sweet marjoram that lay across the counter. It was the very seasoning herb that he had helped her gather the day Rusl returned. He felt his brow furrow as he remembered Pergie slaving over a giant cauldron of stew in her kitchens, stew that she had been forced to prepare for Thann, and the entirety of his men. The spark of an idea lit in his mind. Link began to chew thoughtfully on the inside of his cheek as a very dangerous plan began taking a tentative shape. A smile began to etch its way across his face

~x~X~x~

Link's apprehension only seemed to heighten as the night drew on. When the time came to meet his partners in crime, his nerves were as taut as a bowstring. The bandits had the entire town under a sort of curfew. He knew that getting caught walking about after nightfall was frowned upon- to put it mildly. He knew also that the price of getting caught would be brutally high. This was why he had suggested meeting at the goat pens. Of all the places in the village, Link had noticed that that one was the least guarded. The bandits were rather lazy in their patrolling. They did not seem overly inclined to climb up the steep hill that led to the pasture.

Uli and Colin were already asleep, or nearly so, when Link decided to make his move. He knew that neither Uli or any of the other adults would approve at all if they knew what he was up to. He, however, believed that he had to do this, and so was willing to do no small amount of sneaking, both from within and without.

He crept down from the loft and went straight to the window. The moon and stars were bright and he could see fairly far. Nearly as soon as he peered out, he spotted one of the bandit patrols pacing slowly past the house, heading away from the direction of the goat pasture. Knowing that this would probably be his best chance, he opened the door just enough for him to slip through, but not so far as to cause it to squeak.

Once outside, he headed instantly for the shadows at the side of the house and froze. The bandit seemed to have heard nothing, as he kept pacing steadily away. Reassured somewhat, but with heart still pounding wildly, he began to creep forward, moving from shadow to shadow. He focused hard on mimicking the way Uli moved so silently. He was rather secure in the knowledge that if he could not hear his own steps then the bandits couldn't hear him either.

As he had expected, the hill appeared unguarded and he began to move upwards at a crouch. There was no sense in creating a silhouette for the bandits to see him by. He had learned this in a failed game of nighttime hide and seek. Thinking thus, he army crawled over the ridge to the flat plateau like top of the goat pasture and made for the shadows of the large goat barn. Once behind the wood and stone edifice, he straightened and relaxed when he saw both Fado and Ilia waiting there. The looks on their faces seemed to be two perfect embodiments of the terror he was harboring in his chest. They started in fright when they saw him, and then relaxed as they recognized him.

"Link, it's you," Ilia whispered, sounding relieved.

"Well, would you look at that- I am me. Who would have guessed," he teased in a soft voice despite his nerves, glancing down at himself. "Did I suddenly grow so tall that you couldn't recognize me?"

His apparent ease seemed to calm Ilia and it even coaxed a smile out of her.

"It's only a trick of the shadows, you are still as small as ever," Fado added, attempting to sound lighthearted and not quite succeeding.

Link bent down to join them and found both of their attention focused unwaveringly on him, waiting expectantly.

"What are you both looking at me for?" he demanded in a whisper.

"Well out of the three of us, you are the most sneaky," Fado said simply, and he was right.

Fado preferred things to be simple. He liked things to be rather black and white, and if the situation called for a fight, to attack outright. Ilia was more of a planner and was famed among them for her good sense and ability to instantly see the heart of a problem. But, as Fado had pointed out earlier, Link had been known to be more of a schemer. Link smiled sheepishly at their claim, knowing that there was some truth in it.

"Well, do you have an idea, a plan?"

Link met Fado's questioning gaze and bit his lip. He had been thinking about this ever since their meeting outside Pergie's house earlier that afternoon. He had spent hours considering and reconsidering and he believed had he had indeed found a way. Reluctantly, he nodded, still quite unsure of himself.

"Let's hear it then," Fado demanded almost harshly.

Link shot him a baleful look before he committed himself.

"We have the disadvantage in every way," Link began slowly and he saw Ilia and Fado nod briefly in agreement. "So, to defeat them with just the three of us, we would have to make the ground even. We need something that could give us an advantage, right?" he added a little unsurely.

Again Fado and Ilia nodded and gestured for him to continue. Link took a breath.

"You've seen how the Reihmag's leader has been forcing Pergie to cook for him and all his men, right? And you saw how they did not even spare any of that food tonight for us?"

This time Fado nodded emphatically, if it was a matter that affected the contentment of his stomach, then it was a matter that held his strict attention. Link changed tack suddenly.

"Not too many days ago, Uli took me out to gather herbs," here Link paused to glare at Fado, silently daring the bigger boy to make one of his typical comments about that being women's work.

Fado caught the look and wisely said nothing. Link continued.

"On that trip, I accidentaly picked a plant that I thought was sweet marjoram, because it looked similar. But I was wrong. Uli told me it was a plant called the matrimony vine. And she told me that if it were to be eaten it could cause some really bad stomach trouble that could 'easily take out a grown man for a day or two."

Fado still had a blank look on his face but Ilia saw where he was going instantly.

"You want to find this plant and put it in the Reihmag's food?" she asked, aghast.

"You want to poison them?" Fado asked, mere moments behind Ilia.

The bigger boy's face was set in a frown at that news. Despite his tendency to be bullying towards Link, he was generally a straightforward and honest person. The idea of poison was disturbing to him. He believed that conflicts and problems should be dealt with in a straight forward and honest manner. He believed that when the situation called for fighting, a person should at least give his opponent the courtesy of looking them in the eyes and meeting them face to face. Anything short of that seemed dishonorable to him, like stabbing someone in the back.

Link saw the expression on Fado's face and understood what he was thinking, for it had been a matter that had been upsetting him from the start. Those very thoughts still gnawed uncomfortably at his conscience. If they behaved without honor, wouldn't it make them just as bad as their enemy? There was however, one thing that made him willing to do it, and he immediately told his reasoning to Fado.

"I know it seems dishonorable and I don't really like it either, but I don't think we have any other choice. We can't fight them face to face. Also, if we do nothing, our people will just keep getting hurt or worse. You have heard all the stories about the Reihmag, they don't hesitate to kill people."

Fado was still looking upset, but he appeared to be appeased slightly. No doubt he was thinking on the absolute cruelty he had been forced to live through recently. Link looked to Ilia and was mildly startled to see that she seemed not to be sharing in their moral compunctions. Her face was set in determined agreement.

"Link is right. If we don't stop them now then they will destroy us. They are killers. Do you think that they ever let a thing like honor get in their way? If they go on they will just keep hurting people. If we've got a chance to stop them and we don't take it, it won't just be our home that suffers; others will pay the price too. Also, it's not like the plant will kill them, will it?" Ilia asked.

Link shook his head, "It's not poisonous enough."

"Then I don't see any sort of problem," she said with an air of finality. Then her serious face began to light with the smallest of nervous, yet slightly vindictive, smiles. "Also, I kind of like the idea of seeing them all taken out by stomach aches. They do kind of deserve it, after all."

In the end it was Ilia's logic and practicality that settled the matter. All three of them were in agreement. Link nodded once and then spoke.

"Tonight or tomorrow morning, I will try and sneak into the woods and find the plant. Ilia, you will be in charge of making sure it gets into the bandits' food. And Fado, I want you to be ready to defend her if she gets in trouble, or finish the job for her, if worse comes to worse. Agreed?"

Two voices affirmed his question.

"We should go before they notice we are gone," Fado whispered.

"We should go one at a time, so we don't get spotted. I'll go first," Ilia said. "You two each wait five minutes before following me and each other."

Once again in agreement, Ilia set off. After Fado had guessed he had waited long enough, he followed in her wake. Link paced back and forth a few times, and realized with some asperity that he had no way of measuring time. His nervousness and the rebellious plotting nature of their meeting had him on edge and was making him think that he waited longer than he had. He glanced up at the star strewn sky and fidgeted, debating silently with himself. He decided abruptly that it had been five minutes.

He began to slink forward, using the same caution and care he had used on the way up. Even with his care, his heart seemed to drop in his chest every time he made the slightest sound. He eventually made it down the hill and the sight of Uli's house in the distance made him relax slightly. He was almost there and had made it the entire way with no incidence. He secured himself in the shadows of the tree line.

It was then that he saw Fado. The older boy was crouched in a scant piece of covering, underneath a gangly bush. But, more importantly, Link saw what had driven him there and why he had not moved. Three bandits on patrol were all headed on intersecting paths towards the hill. They didn't especially seem to be on the alert and Link realized that Fado had found himself in this situation by a cruel trick of fate. Ill luck had allowed bad timing on Fado's part. He was totally trapped with two bandits heading towards him on either side and one heading directly towards his front.

The only possible escape route from there, Link saw with horror, would be for Fado to run back up the hill to the goat pasture. But if Fado so much as tired to move from there, he would be spotted before he even got two paces. Link silently willed Fado to be stay down, perhaps then the Reihmag patrols would pass him by without notice. Link realized that that could not be however as he stole another glance at the bandits. The shabby bush the Fado sheltered under did not provide enough cover and it was too near the place where the patrols would cross. He would be spotted. It was only a matter of time. He could see, by the horrified look on the bigger boy's face, that Fado knew it too.

* * *

**A/N: bit of an evil cliffhanger I know but it shall be resolved next week. I love reviews (just so you know XD )Thank you for reading, and I wish you all the most amazing of weeks until next time! **

(Just because I can't help myself and am curious) Question: What do you think about the Zelda spinoff Hyrule Warriors?

I am not quite sure what to think about it, but I do know that I am not too pleased with the female villain's design. I have always been pleased that the Zelda games have never gone into the world of ridiculously impractical female fantasy armor, but it looks as if the spinoff does not have the typical Zelda game's common sense when it comes to armor. (I mean what's the point of even wearing it if it does not even cover any of your vital spots?) Aside form that it looks kinda cool though :)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I herby give you all the conflict resolution I promised! XD A special thanks to all my readers!

**Yami no Nokutan:** Don't underestimate tiny wolf boy and his cohort too badly, between them they might think of something XD aww why thank you, It's always a joy to hear that one's evil plotting is appreciated XD that what it looks like to me too oh, and apparently you can play as Zelda, Sheik, and Midna too. Thank you!

**Arison Nakaru**: I haven't played it either, but I have to agree with you there. I hope you are satisfied with how the cliffhanger turned out XD Thank you for the review!

**silverheartlugia2000:** When in doubt, throw something, those are wise words of wisdom indeed. Actually doing stud like that had help me out of a few jams before XD Thanks for the review!

**Storm Dragon Wolf Princess**: Yeah lousily designed female fantasy armor is one of my peeves in life XD. Oh really? What part? I love the Ranger's Apprentice series. John Flanagan, Brian Jaques, JRR Tolkin, CS Lewis, Nancy Springer, Shakespeare and quite a few other poets are some of my greatest inspirations when it comes to writing. In fact it was reading their works that made me want to try it for myself XD Thank you for your review!

**CupcakePride101:** Awww thanks :3 I am glad you like it Rusl won't be back yet in this chapter but we shall definitely see him again. The designs are similar I must say. Yeah I had pretty much the same reaction. She scared me too DX and to think I thought Ghirahim was the worst when it came to designs XD. No I haven't really, sounds kinda interesting. Thank you for the review it really made my day to read.

**Twilight16:**Sorry about that X3 I haven't got a Wii U yet either (which tells you how bad my inner fangirl is XD) Thank you for the compliment and the review! I hope this is soon enough for you BTW X)

* * *

**A Game of Sheep and Wolves**

The men continued their slow, unbearably ceaseless motion towards the spot where Fado lay cowering, just barely concealed. Link knew instantly that Fado would be discovered before a minute passed. He knew also what would happen to the older boy when he was caught. The Reihmag might have ignored them for the most part previously, but this was a total infringement on their regime. This was, in a way, a blatant act of revolt against them. Fado would get no simple warning for that. Based on how the bandits had been acting previously, he would be beaten if he were to get off easy, and probably killed or worse if Thann was in no mood for lenience. Link had honestly never seen Thann anywhere near what could be termed a lenient mood.

Link began immediately to wrack his brains for any sort of course of action that could help Fado. He may have been rather cheeky and slightly devious when it came to planning but, for all that, the thought of doing nothing never even crossed his mind. Link honestly could not even comprehend the amount of malice and apathy that a person would have to harbor in order to do nothing and walk away, whilst knowing fully what would happen to the other person if they so. In Link's mind, everyone deserved a chance. That definitely included Fado, especially when it was well within his power to grant such a chance and regardless of the price that would fall upon his own head for taking it. If he had the ability, means, and opportunity, he saw it basically as his duty to protect anyone who could not defend themselves. In fact, doing so was almost instinctual to him.

So, the moment that he had formed the beginning semblance of an idea, he acted without a second thought for himself or hesitation. Link leaped to his feet and moved further back into the trees, where he purposely trod of several fallen branches and rustled the brush. The sounds carried instantly to the three Reihmag patrols and they immediately turned towards the noise. Link, peering at them through the foliage, with the help of the bright moonlight around him, saw them turn towards him. He immediately and very obviously darted from his cover to another patch of shade. He purposefully acted the part of a clumsy villager trying to sneak through the woods behind his enemies' back to draw them out and keep their attention off of Fado. As soon as he was behind the tree he had raced for, he waited a few moments and then moved forward again, snapping another large branch as he raced full tilt into another patch of shadow.

He glanced quickly towards Ordon clearing and saw he had gained the marauders' full attention now. They had taken the bait. All three began to walk purposefully towards the wood line with swords in hand. That sight nearly froze Link's blood as he gave up his feigned pretense of sneaking and sprinted into the dark thickly forested woods. He felt his breath catch in utter dread as he heard the men pick up their pace drastically as they raced in pursuit of him, all the while yelling for him to stop.

Fado had heard some loud snapping sounds and the three Reihmag patrols cries of 'look, over there,' and, 'stop!" but nothing registered completely with him then. He gingerly turned his head now, as his terror-numbed mind picked up the sound of the three men, who had been closing in on him, began to move past and away from him. Something had obviously drawn their attention. He peered through the sparse leaves of his bush. The bandits were indeed headed away from him, and at a rapid run. They were chasing after someone apparently. Just as he thought it, he caught sight of the small figure in question as it sprinted deep into the woods. Instantly, he knew who it was that had drawn the bandits' eye. How many times had he himself seen that same figure fleeing before him like that into those very trees?

Link was relatively skilled at moving quietly and carefully; Fado had lost him enough times when chasing him to know this. He wouldn't have made all that noise unless it had been on purpose. Fado leaped to his feet, staring in horror at the bandits who were, even then, disappearing after Link into the tangle of trees. There was only one reason that Link would do such a thing that he could think of.

Link had saved his life. Fado continued to stare after the bandits and his unexpected ally long after they had passed from his sight. Link had saved his life; the very same Link who had been his rival for years, the same Link who had been after him many times with guerilla style prank attacks. In the back of his mind, Fado had always viewed this as the behavior of a coward, but today he knew that that was not right. Perhaps many of the ways he had been viewing Link were not quite right either, or at least not the whole truth.

In all of their conflicts, he had never really looked at his own part in everything. But, now that he saw firsthand what happened when strength and power were abused, he had begun to experience this odd sinking feeling as he looked back at his own actions. He was beginning to realize that, in his own way, he had behaved just as dishonorably. He was just as guilty, especially lately with the business about Link wanting to be a blacksmith.

He had been as much of a bully to Link as these bandits were being to practically everyone in Ordon. It was not a conclusion that he particularly enjoyed coming to but, now that it was staring him in the face, he had no way of not acknowledging it. He had been a bit of a bully, a bit of a fool, and oh how he wished that he could take it back now. Link had saved his life despite what he had done and he was out there alone, with three bandits on his tale. Fado knew that realistically there was nothing he could do about it. He could do nothing, that is, but hope that Link could outrun the Reihmag with the same skill that he always used to outrun him.

"All because he tried to save my life," Fado mumbled softly from his hiding place.

The gesture warmed his heart even as it chilled it. He was worried for Link's life. He had never been given a gift so great, so selfless . And he had never been so afraid of the cost of such a gift, even though it would not be he who paid the price. Desperately, he wished for a way he could help but, at the same time, he knew that if he tired, he would only make things worse and squander the gift of life and freedom that Link had given him. Silently, Fado prayed for Link to be safe, for something, someone, anything to help him.

Link was rather of the same mind as he fled through the trees with the Riehmag patrols hard on his tail. He began to wish desperately for something, anything to save him. He had miscalculated, plain and simple. He had terribly misjudged the bandits' speed in relation to his own. He had tried almost every single trick he had often used to give Fado the slip but these men were experienced, fit, and they were faster than he was, much faster. It was all that he could do to stay ahead of them and out of their reach. He had never been more afraid then he was now. Conversely, he had never been as sure of himself before either. If he could have been given the chance for a do-over, he knew he would have chosen to do the same thing again, without hesitation.

Link had gotten what he wanted. Fado could escape without notice and he had successfully goaded three armed fighting men into chasing him. Perhaps, he thought suddenly, it might have been better if he had been just a little less successful. He was probably going to die, he realized with sudden clarity. So much for being or thinking himself clever. He was an idiot. He wondered wryly if the mayor gave out idiot awards. If he did, there was no doubt that he would win it. Maybe Rusl could craft him a special one as a sort of monument for him.

It wasn't funny, or it shouldn't have been funny, considering the circumstances. Nothing about this situation was funny but his mouth seemed to think otherwise. Despite his gasping breaths, his lips had begun to twist themselves into a semblance of a grin. He wondered vaguely if he were mad, then shrugged inwardly. If he were going to die then he might as well go out smiling.

The smile faded almost instantly as he made to swerve around a particularly thick tree trunk and felt a hand just miss grabbing him by his belt sash. His heart sputtered with fright and he found that he really had no desire to die at all, despite all his best effort to convince the Reihmag otherwise.

Hands trembling with fear, he put every last ounce of effort into his pumping legs as he tried to carry himself out of the man's reach and not so loving embrace. The night shrouded forest seemed to close in around him. It made his world seem as small as himself, his three bandits, and the meager distance he could see. It had a claustrophobic effect on his mind that only heightened his terror.

Every branch seemed to grab at him and every shadow made him start with the fear that perhaps one of his pursuers had outflanked him and was coming at him now from the side. He wished uselessly that he could have been blessed with a thick covering of fog that would offer him some sort of hiding spot, but the night was perfectly clear for once. There was not even a bush that he could duck behind. The Reihmag were too close behind him for him to try that anyways, too close even for him to try to climb a tree. The trees that had once appeared almost like guardians to him, now served only as reminders that his enemies were too close for there to be a place to hide. Every gnarled trunk and tangled branch seemed only to be chocking in on him; yet they were all too far apart to afford him shelter. Frantically, his eyes darted around, looking for any means of escape but found nothing.

He vaulted over a fallen log land landed awkwardly on the ground in a roll, his body banging painfully against exposed roots and rocks. The roll saved his life however, for it carried him just out of the path of another reaching hand and the dully gleaming point of a sword. He jumped to his feet, ignoring his pain and the stitch that was beginning to form in his side.

It was then that he saw a dense patch of brush ahead. The spacing of the tangle of plants was wide enough to allow his small body access but too dense for the bandits to follow outright. It was a veritable hedge if protection and he made for it. He dashed forwards and practically threw himself down on the ground to slide through the first tangle of leaves and branches. Once friction stopped him, he began to crawl quickly through the others. When he emerged on the other side he instantly became aware of the sounds of swords hacking at the undergrowth. He felt his stomach drop as he realized his ploy would not give him anywhere near enough time to hide or get away. The brush that had offered him its false promise of safety, grew chokingly thick all around him. He could see only one clear path out of it. He sped towards it as the first of the Reihmag burst through the bushes.

Link ran forwards and nearly cried out in alarm as he felt the ground beneath his feet disappear. Because of the darkness around him, he had not seen that the land dropped steeply before him until too late. He fell straight into the rocky, leaf strewn bottom of a dried ravine bed. No sooner did he realize this and pick himself up from this new patch of ground he had introduced his face to, then he heard the heavy thud of boots as the bandits jumped in after him.

If he wasn't thoroughly scared before, then he was now. He had completely outmaneuvered himself. He raced blindly ahead in the only direction left to him. It was as if he had trapped himself in a veritable hallway. There was no way he could even come close to climbing out before the enemy would catch him. His heavy breathing was beyond harsh and his muscles were screaming and trembling with his efforts to stay ahead of his pursuers, but he was beyond the point of stopping now.

Link blinked as the gully path ahead seemed to inexplicably lighten. At first he thought it was just a trick of his exertion and terror-numbed brain but, as he ran forward, the light seemed to grow from the gentle luminescence of a candle flame to the brilliance of a lantern. Link suddenly saw it burning not more than thirty paces ahead of him. The light however, did not shine out like a lantern. It simply was, pooling gently on the ground, in the air, and on the sides of the ditch.

The air itself seemed to shimmer with its gentle glow, but there seemed to be no source for it. Link hesitated for the merest of moments, his mind flashing warning wary thoughts about poes and other spirits, for the gentle golden light was eerie and seemed out of place in this world. It was so quiet in the near bursting sounds of his terror filled mind. Then, he continued doggedly forwards despite his hesitation. In his mind, even a poe was preferable to the three brigands behind him. At least a poe might give a more merciful end.

He sped onwards towards the clam light, his small body lurching with every exhausted stride. As he drew closer, he saw it begin to shift before him. It was as if it were materializing into something more, morphing into something with more substance than a shivering patch of light. It twisted like the tendrils of a glowing mist as it resolved itself slowly into the shape of a wolf. The apparition seemed to stand, and open one glowing red eye. Still, Link ran forward. His terror was so great now that he could not make himself stop, try as he might. The wolf seemed to have hardly any more substance than air but, at the same time, it did not look as if Link could run right through it.

Suddenly, the shade or spirit, Link couldn't decide, gathered itself and sprang forward. Its spectral mouth was agape in a howling snarl that sounded like echoes. Its phantom teeth seemed deadly sharp and gleamed in its own light. Link's heart skipped several beats and he finally regained enough of his own faculties to throw himself flat to the ground. Link grit his teeth and braced himself for a very messy end at the teeth of a phantom- but nothing happened. He glanced up to see the shade leap high over his head. Numbly, his eyes followed it as it bounded through the shadow filled night towards the three bandits, trailing a golden light behind it. It streaked forwards, its paws never seeming to actually touch the ground as it leaped and ran without the slightest sound, save for the echoing howl that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

The bandits had slowed their pace as soon as they had become aware of the light's prescience growing before them and their quarry. Like most uneducated people, their beliefs were high in the areas of superstition, especially in a place like Hyrule were rumors of forest spirits abounded and where it was known that creatures such as poes and fairies existed, to name only a few.

Chasing after an unarmed village boy was one thing, but chasing after spirits was completely something else all together. They watched in absolute terror as the light manifested itself into some sort of phantom wolf. When the apparition charged straight at them, there was no doubt in their minds that they had awakened, disturbed, or displeased some guardian of the woods. The sight of the howling shade was enough to send theme fleeing, screaming with terror, back the way they had come. Their voices cried out in the odd despairing pitch that only hunters know when they suddenly and inexplicably find themselves as prey.

Link heard the bloodcurdling shrieks of his pursuers and that sound alone was enough to make him scramble to his feet and try to run again. For the second time that night, he felt himself falling through open space as he lost sight of the ground. He tumbled straight down a four foot drop that had been carved into the now dried ravine by a long dead waterfall. He tried to catch his fall with his hands and they took the brunt of the hit, but his head struck one of the many rocks at the gully's base.

Whether from the knock to his head, his overexertion, terror, or perhaps all three, his world suddenly went blacker than the night around him and he knew no more. His body lay limply among the fallen leaves, moss, and rocks of the gully floor. The boy was not aware when that calm golden light returned and spilled over the walls of the ditch where he lay. Nor was he aware of the presence of the red-eyed wolf's shade as it stood sentinel over him until the first rays of morning began to mingle with its glow. He did not even see how the shade's spectral light faded even as the growing light of the rising sun shafted through the foliage of the trees around him with the burning hope of morning. When the sunlight did penetrate Link's consciousness, all traces of his strange midnight guardian and defender had vanished completely.

Link moaned softly to himself as he stirred. He then bolted upright, much to the chagrin of his aching body, as his memories came flooding back in a rush. He winced and began to check himself over and found that, other than the many scrapes and bruises that adorned his body, he was fine.

Mildly surprised, he began to climb up the gully walls. When he reached the top of the ravine, he peered around himself cautiously. When he saw that the coast was clear, he felt his entire face light up with the sheer joy that came when he realized that he was alive. His smile grew even wider, if that was at all possible, when he saw the area of the woodlands that he had ended up in. The night before, he had had no idea where he was running. He had gotten turned around more than once in his urgency and, in the back of his mind, he had been harboring the fear that he might have gotten lost.

Link knew where he was, however. The trees all around were familiar to him. Almost as if by the hand of fate, he had ended up in the place where he had Uli had picked the sweet marjoram a few days ago. It was the same place that he had first found the matrimony vine.

As he thought of fate, his mind wandered back to the events of the night before and settled upon the shade that had undoubtedly saved him. Perhaps more than fate was at work here. He whispered a silent yet slightly wary thanks to the forest spirit, if indeed that was what it was. He felt a little uneasy as he did so; spirits were rumored to be rather temperamental after all.

He tried to shrug that weird feeling that accompanied thoughts of the previous night's apparition off. He bent and began to gather clumps of both sweet marjoram and matrimony vine, so that the herb bundle looked and smelled right as a seasoning to the casual eye, or nose. When he judged he had enough, he left the little knoll and headed in the direction of Ordon village.

~x~X~x~

Fado hadn't really slept that night, so consumed with worry was his turmoil filled thoughts. And soon as the sun was up, he tried to discreetly make his way to Uli's house. He had already made up his mind to tell the herbalist what had happened if he found that Link hadn't come back.

He was halfway there when he saw the three Reihmag who had been on patrol the night before. He recognized the one who had gotten closest to him by his dirty plaited beard. They were definitely looking the worse for wear. Fado felt a sudden thrill of fear mixed with hope. If they had captured Link surely the village would have already been roused to see the Reihmag make an example of him. He tried and succeeded to walk causally by them without drawing their attention. They seemed to be distracted by something so they hardly paid him any mind. Logically, that in turn meant Link had either escaped or had been killed. Fado cringed at the thought. He had to know for sure. As soon as he judged he was far enough from the bandits, he ran the rest of the way to the blacksmith's house at an all out sprint.

He slowed as he reached the steps that led to the sturdy wooden door. His stomach twisting with dread, he raised a hand to knock but was distracted by a rapid movement coming from the woods behind Uli's house. He had caught the movement in his periphery and turned his head slightly to focus his full attention there. He felt an uncontrollable wave of relief run through him as his eyes lit upon Link crouching in some bracken behind the trunk of a tree, frantically waving him over.

Fado jogged forwards, gratitude and relief spurring him forwards. As soon as he reached the spot where Link had secured himself, Link stood to greet him. Fado grabbed him roughly in a massive bear hug, lifting the smaller boy almost a foot off the ground. Suddenly feeling awkward, he put Link down and chuckled nervously. Link blinked a few times and then grinned at Fado. Fado grinned back and companionably shoved him in the shoulder. Link staggered backwards a few paces, still grinning, and reached slightly behind him to retrieve something he had tied to his belt. When he brought his hand forward Fado felt his mouth gape slightly in surprise.

"You found the… the matari… marti- vine?" he stumbled slightly over the word as he asked with an awed expression.

"Matrimony vine, and yes, I did. I mixed it with the sweet marjoram so it looks and smells like that's all there is. Make sure Ilia gets it."

Fado nodded, and then looked concerned at Link as the younger boy's smile faded into a look of worry.

"Have you seen the bandits that were after me?" Link asked. "Are they still looking?"

Fado shook his head. "I've seen them, but they don't seem to be looking for you. I really don't think they told anyone about last night, they looked guilty, well, more guilty than normal." He paused a moment and then added, "I don't think they want to lose face by admitting they lost you."

Link nodded at this, considering it quite plausible. He did however think there was more to it than that. He had overheard the bandits talking enough to suspect that they were quite superstitious. Link also suspected that Thann was not and he would discourage such beliefs in his soldiers, especially since talk like that often led to cowardice.

If Thann frowned on ghost stories and spirit talk then, not only would he disapprove if his men told him they hadn't been able to catch a curfew breaker, but he would be livid if they told him why they hadn't: a ghost wolf. Though Link did not have time to try to explain his escape or the shade to Fado, he decided that it would probably be safer for the patrols if they said nothing at all to their temperamental leader. Link also knew that even though they probably had not, and would not say anything, it would probably be best for him to stay hidden. He voiced his last thought to Fado.

"I think it would be best if I stayed here, hidden, until our plan works."

Fado nodded agreement at the good sense behind this and then frowned. Like most young boys, Fado was very active and the thought of staying hidden for hours quietly was not really appealing.

"You can wait that long?" he asked finally.

"What other choice do I have? After last night, I don't think I can just go waltzing happily through the village giving Thann and his men flowers and wishing them a good day. Besides, if everything works well then I hopefully won't have to wait too long."

Fado grudgingly admitted he was right and took the plants from Link.

"Good fortune go with you," Link said softly.

"And you," Fado returned as he began to head back to the village.

~x~X~x~

Fado watched discreetly that afternoon as Ilia, with the plants tastefully arranged in a basket, innocently entered Pergie's house. He followed shortly after her, carrying a heavy sack of flour. As he set the flour down near the back of the room, he watched Ilia sidle up towards Pergie as the cook frantically labored in her kitchen.

"Miss Pergie," Ilia began sweetly to catch the woman's attention.

Pergie turned and fixed Ilia with a wan distracted attempt at a smile. It came out more like a grimace.

"Uli said to give you these." Ilia held up the basket and smiled. "She heard that you were making…" here Ilia paused and sniffed the air as she glanced towards the cauldron hanging over the fire, "lamb stew," she continued, covering her slight slip quickly, and Fado thought, rather artfully."She thought you could use some sweet marjoram to season it," Ilia finally finished.

If Pergie noticed Ilia's slight hesitation she gave no outward sign. Fado decided that her mind was simply too overtaxed and frantic with everything going on to have really taken notice. Pergie reached for the basket and flashed Ilia what could only be described as a world-weary smile.

"Tell Uli thank you for me. She is always so thoughtful."

Ilia nodded and turned to leave. Fado followed shortly after. As he was heading out the door, he saw Pergie begin to mince the herbs with skillful deft strokes of her kitchen knife and then toss the lot of it into the bubbling cauldron with a handful of salt. Fado felt a rush of success flood through him. When he was outside, he caught Ilia's eye and nodded once.

~x~X~x~

Thann and his council of six captains had been in a lengthy meeting since late afternoon, discussing their plans of where to go next after they left this small village in about five days. Thann was a powerful leader, and he was also no fool. He trusted his own judgment above all others but, at the same time, he knew it was the path of a wise leader to seek the counsel of others. He thought this especially when it came to such important and decisive matters such as the Reihmag's next move. He would consider the advice and opinions of his captains. They were men nearly as skilled, cunning, and ruthless as himself. He had the final word in all matters so he had nothing to lose by listening, and, more frequently than not, he gained much more by considering his captains' ideas. It was because of this system that the Reihmag had won themselves such success as a tactical unit. They benefited well from each other's strengths. It was why he and his men had been nearly unopposed and undefeatable until Hyrule's king had built his army up for that massive counter attack.

They had a lot of planning to do in order to get the Reihmag back to their former glory. It was a matter of some delicacy and urgency and so, in accordance with that, he had left his lieutenant in charge and had practically sealed himself and his captains off from the rest of the village. Because of the closed off secretive nature of his meeting, and the fact that he did not want to be disturbed by anyone, he had had one of his soldiers prepare a small meal for himself and his men in the mayor's kitchen that evening.

It was not until late that night, when they finally drew their council to a close, that he deemed it time to retire for the night. He had made his final decisions and was rather pleased with the way things were going to be headed. If he and his group moved quickly and decisively enough, they could regain control of much of what they had had lost before the Hyrule army really had a chance to rally and build itself again. By that time, he and his men would be safely out of harm's way. Hyrule was not really a good place for them in the long run, they would probably have more success in the far south.

With those pleasurable and fulfilling thoughts in mind, he left the mayor's house with his captains early the next morning. His mood had been vastly lightened by the talks the night before. With that knowledge adding to the strength of his imposing countenance, he strode forth. In his mind, he could already see himself standing proud at the head of his Reihmag, leading them to victory after seven years of forced inactivity.

That was why he was so startled when he entered the equivalent of the town square and saw all his men laying on the ground. The ones who were conscious were shuddering, moaning and sweating with fever as they writhed in agony. The others were ominously still, their rapid feverish breathing the only indication of life. All around him, the air hung heavy with the stench of vomit, and worse. Of all his men only two, aside from his council were still standing. And, despite their valiant efforts he could see that they were sick and totally unfit for battle.

For a moment his mind was frozen with horror. Just yesterday his men had been fine and fit for battle. Today not one of them was healthy. His mind whirled with the question as to how this could have happened. Then his eyes alighted on the near empty cauldron lying listlessly on its side, no doubt knocked over by one of his men. The remainder of the giant pot's contents was pooled miserably at the bottom. His eyes narrowed instantly with suspicion and then still further with anger as he confirmed his suspicion in his own mind. There was only one thing that could take out perfectly healthy men this way, and that was poison. He felt the boiling-over sensation of livid rage began to overtake his entire being. His men had been poisoned. All his carefully laid plans were already falling into shambles around his feet. For that, there would be the Dark World to pay. His face grew hot with fury even as he vowed to kill the perpetrator of this deed.

His eyes suddenly focused their white hot rage upon the blacksmith's house. In this village of bumpkins and fools he instinctively knew that there was only one person with the knowledge and skill enough to accomplish such a deed. There was only one person with enough knowledge of woodland plants and poisons: the herbalist. He drew his sword slowly with the burning passion of a righteous rage. His world had narrowed until there was only room left for one thought in his mind. He would find the herbalist and she would die upon his blade.

She would die, but not quickly. She would suffer for her rebellion and treachery against him, and she would suffer dearly, only then would he take her life in recompense. He would make such an example of her that this village would never forget. Perhaps then they would learn fear, perhaps then they would learn never to cross him. He was Thann, the leader of the Reihmag and he would have his retribution.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed! I am pretty sure there will be one more chapter after this, and then and epilogue. As usual, reviews are much appreciated. I have had this idea that the Hero's Shade might have acted like a guardian to Link even before his adventures in TP, so I could not help but add him (I love the Hero's Shade. Also I am having quite a fair amount of empathy for the bandits as I have had the outstanding pleasure of contracting a stomach bug yesterday (not fun DX) Also a final note, (Time for another of my geeky gardening and horticulture notes) (yes I have quite a lot of random hobbies and interest XD) the plants I have used in this story are real and what I have said about them is accurate (don't eat the matrimony vine unless you know what you are doing) (parts of it can be used for medicinal purposes as I have said.) Once again, Thanks for reading! I hope you all have an amazing week!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Sorry for the couple day delay. I have been rather busy and under the weather lately and this chapter turned out to be much bigger than I anticipated. I hope that the length and the fact it is the conclusion makes up a little bit for my lateness. Once again, thanks to everyone for reading, I hope you all enjoy!

**Arison Nakaru:** You might indeed be right there *cough* spoiler *cough* thank you for the compliment and for the review!

**Yami no Nokutan:** Yeah, poor Uli, she is in for a rather nasty surprise. I love the hero's shade too X3 You shall find out about Rusl soon enough, I promise XD Thanks for the review and the support!

**silverheartlugia2000:** Yes he will! Yeah Uli is in a bit of a mess DX Thanks for the review!

**CupcakePride101**: Yeah Groose did give me a bit of my inspiration when it came to this tale, plus I am a sucker for character tension. XD I could not leave him out and I love the Dark World idea, it seems to fit better than hell anyway in a Zelda game. (gotta use the right language) Yeah Uli get's the blame, mostly because Thann doesn't think very clearly when he is mad and he thinks the act itself is her fault. (Pergie gets of easy this time) Thank you for the Review!

**NoSignalBlueScreen:** I am glad you liked it :3 The conclusion is finally here! The post TP one is in progress so it will be coming (probably in late September) I will XD Thank you for your kind words and the review!

**Twilight16:** your welcome! Hehe *nervous chuckle* yeah that was a pretty rude place to end it, but at the time I could not think of a better place. I wish they could do that too! It is so not fair for those of us who don't have much hope of getting a WiiU any time soon 8/ *pout face* I'm sorry you are not doing well, I hope you feel better soon! Yes, being sick sucks! He is one of my favorites too! Thanks for the review!

**Storm Dragon Wolf Princess:** There is indeed a bit of similarity there. I get reminded of things Halt said often too (I love Halt he is my favorite ranger XD ) though there were a few of the things he said that I was already familiar with because I have a big family and mountain/forest-like yard and we like to play things like ultimate camouflage hide and seek and assassin XD Yes, the curse of the evil night wolf XD bandits will stay away from the woods from now on XD Yeah Uli needs to do that. Thanks for the review!

* * *

**To Wield Courage**

Link had indeed gotten bored. Sitting still and hiding for hours was not something that he especially excelled at. He had been born with an abundance of energy, it seemed, and that had not changed during his twelve years of life. Three hours of inactivity was about as much as he could take. He had amused himself afterwards by carefully skirting the perimeter of the village, staying well within the shadows of the trees. But, from so far away, he could hardly make out anything. He gave it up after a while.

He came back however, at sunset, and dared to creep a little closer to the fringe of woods behind Pergie's house. He waited in the shadows until the coast was clear and then scaled a tall tree that overlooked the house and most of the village. From his position, he could see the Reihmag milling about the village square, waiting in line for food that steamed tantalizingly from a large black cauldron in the center. Link watched them silently as they gorged themselves. It was a rather disgusting sight to behold.

He hoped beyond hope that Fado and Ilia had managed to get the matrimony vine into the stew. Then he decided that they had. He knew that neither of them would let him down if they could help it. As he continued to watch the bandits, he became slightly worried; he did not see Thann anywhere. Then he shrugged off the worry. He had not had eyes on the camp the entire meal. Perhaps he had just missed seeing the bandit leader. After all, it was highly likely that he had gone first.

As was their typical custom, the majority of the bandits feasted and drank far into the night. Link continued to survey the scene below him, wondering idly how long it would be before the matrimony vine took effect. In all that time, Thann never showed up. It should have worried Link more, but he had already convinced himself that he had merely missed seeing the bandit leader.

When he grew tired of watching, he scooted closer to the trunk of the tree. There were several large boughs in the oak he had secured himself in. Deciding that it would be best to stay put, he found a fairly comfortable one and tied himself to it with his belt for the night.

He was roused the next morning by a cry of rage. He bolted instantly awake. For a few moments, his head was addled by sleep and then his focus returned. He peered through the foliage of his tree. At first, the sight that greeted him filled him with a sense of victorious triumph. He saw a miserable cluster of sick bandits strewn around a tipped-over cauldron. He knew instantly that his plan had been successful; they had won.

Then the glorious light of victory was snuffed out instantly as his eyes alighted upon something else. Thann was standing just at the edge of the village center with his sword upraised and six healthy men at his back. Link's heart froze. Something had gone terribly wrong. Somehow, Thann and six of his men had escaped the poison of the matrimony vine. As Link watched wide eyed, he heard the bandit scream a wild cry for vengeance at the sky. He felt his body go numb with a feeling of cold terror. That shout of rage was meant for him. Though logic told him that Thann had no idea where he was, he felt himself begin to shrink backwards when the bandit leader called for his men to form up. Thann's voice was wrought with a rage that carried the sounds of the last part of his shouted orders clearly to Link.

"I want the herbalist!"

For a moment Link was confused. Was Thann going to try and make Uli tell where he was? _No, it couldn't be,_ Link thought, for the rage in his voice had been aimed directly at her. But Uli hadn't done anything. She didn't even know anything about what Link had planned or done. Then, suddenly, he understood. Thann had recognized his men's sudden illness as poison and aside from Link, Uli was the only one who knew of the matrimony vine. Worse still, she was the only one in the village who was noted and known for her expertise when it came to plants. He realized with a sudden clarity that it was only logical for Thann to assume it was she who had been behind it all.

Link felt his breath catch in horror, both with the realization, and at the sight of Thann leading his men in a wedge formation towards the blacksmith's house.

"What have I done?" he choked out in a cracking whisper.

Uli was as good as dead and it was all _his_ fault. He felt his breathing accelerate in response to the blind terror that claimed his entire being. He shook his head, forcing himself to calm down. He had to fix this; he would do anything to fix this. He loved Uli like a mother and he had to save her. For that, he knew he would need a clear head and a body that was not paralyzed with terror. This wasn't over yet, it couldn't be, he would never accept that. From his high perch, he followed the soldiers every move with his frantic eyes. He balled his fists in desperation and frustration. There had to be something he could do... there just had to be.

His eyes alighted on the steep path up to the goat pasture and then widened suddenly with a desperate hope. Without another thought, he had climbed down from the tree with a speed born of urgency. He ran as fast as he could for the pasture hill.

~x~X~x~

Uli stared in dismay at the man who had his sword pointed firmly at her chest. The Reihmag leader's eyes seemed crazed with fury. Two bandits forced her to her knees on the rough dirt path that twisted by her house so that she knelt before their leader. It was early morning, but the day was heavy with clouds and fog, giving everything the atmosphere of a dark early evening. Her only consolation was that she had had just enough time to hide little Colin before the men burst into her home and dragged her outside.

The tip of Thann's sword jabbed further into the soft flesh just below the point of her neck. She held completely still. The two men who had first seized her left at their leader's command and went to help the four others who had their swords trained on the villagers who had gathered nearby. She looked up in fearful confusion at the bandit leader who had murder written in his eyes. Uli swallowed hard and then nervously licked her lips.

"I-Is something w-wrong, milord?" she ventured, her voice shaking slightly.

Thann's eyes grew even angrier at her question. Before she could even think to move, his fist slammed into the side of her face. She sprawled on the ground awkwardly before his feet, her whole face an explosion of pain.

"Don't you pay fox with me woman!" he nearly screamed at her. "Don't you dare play that you had nothing to do with this! Vixen, I know it was you, nobody else had the knowledge!"

Uli's head spun with confusion and pain. She had no idea what he was talking about, she hadn't even left her house that morning yet.

"I… I don't-"

"Liar!" he screamed, raining blows down mercilessly on her, punctuating every sentence with his brute violence.

"You thought I wouldn't find out? You thought I wouldn't guess? You ruined my army, you ruined my plans! You destroyed everything and you will pay!"

Uli curled in on herself, hardly able to breathe through the sharp bursts of agony that assaulted her body. Suddenly, and inexplicably, the blows stopped. Dazed with pain, Uli tried to focus herself. It was then that she became aware of a rumbling sound that grew in strength with every passing second. At first, her pained numbed mind thought it was thunder, but then she recognized the noise. It was the sound of a goat stampede. She half rose and turned painfully to see what appeared to be the entire herd racing down the hill.

This unexpected turn caught the bandits by surprise and caused mass confusion as the animals raced towards the bandit lines. The wild charge even took out two of the Reihmag before the rest scattered along with the villagers. Even Thann was thrown off guard for a moment and Uli took that time to try and escape. She had never been one to stare a gift horse in the mouth. For some reason Thann meant to kill her and she had no intention of just sitting there and waiting for him to attack her again.

She rose painfully to her feet and tried to run. She was within fifty paces of the wood line when the last of the goats thundered past. Thann saw her motion and recollected himself. He headed after her with all the speed of an enraged bear. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mayor Bo and Jaggle try to make a dash to intercept Thann and save her, but they were immediately held back by the four remaining bandits. Jaggle was knocked unconscious and Bo was cornered by three others.

Then Thann was upon her. She was caught by her neck and held up before the beast of a raider. She immediately tried to loosen his grip with her hands, trying to use her nails to claw at him. She even tried kicking, anything to make him let her go. But it was no use. The bandit brought his face close to her own, so close that his rancid breath skimmed over her and his spittle hit her as he yelled.

"You will not get away from me, wench! I will make you pay for what you did!"

He let out a hoarse yell of pain and dropped her suddenly and without warning. He then reached up a hand to cradle his face. His nose was bleeding profusely, Uli saw, from where a rock had struck him. Uli landed hard on the ground and gratefully took a breath of life giving air.

As surprising as the attack was for Thann, she saw his warrior's training instantly reassert itself. He turned instantly in the direction from where the rock had been thrown.

"You've got a problem then," a ridiculously young voice sounded in Uli's ears. "Because she didn't poison your men, I did!"

Uli turned her head, her mouth dropping open with shock and she placed the voice almost at the same time her eyes focused upon the small figure of Link. His young face was set in a determined furious scowl. He held a bandit's discarded sword in a two handed grip. The weapon was nearly as tall as he was and Uli saw that it was far too heavy for him.

Thann's full attention was on the small challenging figure.

"Uli is not the only one who knows about herbs. Your men weren't watching me; it was easy enough for a kid to slip by them, as easy as it was for me to start that stampede."

Thann's eyes swiveled momentarily to the downed forms of the two of his men who had not dodged the goats. When they focused back on Link, they were narrowed in an incomprehensible rage.

"Your bandits never would have let Uli near the food, but I could get near it, and I did."

"Link!" Uli cried in horror but Thann kicked her away and began advancing upon the young boy.

Whether it was because he believed Link's admission, was angry about the rock and the goats, Link's defiance and nerve to stand up to him, or perhaps all of them together, Uli could not tell. She reached for a sizable chunk of firewood, the closest thing that could pass a weapon near to hand. She made a rush at the bandit leader, all her previous fear totally forgotten when she saw the threat to Link's life. She was stopped before she even got close by the one remaining unoccupied bandit.

"Link, no!" she cried again as she struggled to battle her way through the man that barred her way, keeping her from coming to Link's aid.

Link's arms strained as he hefted the large bandit's sword before him. He was beyond the point of thinking about what he was doing. All semblance of logic and good sense seemed to have fled when he saw Thann hit Uli.

The stampede was supposed to have given Uli the chance to escape but, other than the fact that it had taken out two bandits, it had not quite worked as planned. It was because of this that he had gone to his backup plan, which was admittedly a rather stupid desperate plan. But Link would do anything to save Uli, and he could think of no other option to try at the moment. The worse part of all was that his stupid plan seemed to be working.

First Uli had been blamed and now he had unofficially challenged a trained warrior to a duel. He was probably going to die, and then he realized that this was the second time he had thought that in just as many days. It had to be a skill to mess things up as badly as he had done. Maybe he would get that idiot award yet.

The bandit continued forward. All sense of his once calm and calculating mind was completely overshadowed by his uncontrollable anger. Link had heard and read a few warriors' epics and he knew that this could be seen as a good thing. A person could not react or think with total clarity if their mind was clouded by anger. In theory, it would give the challenger a slight advantage. But he was learning that there was a difference between theory and practice. Link stood his ground, keeping the point of his sword trained upon the figure of the bandit, trying to ignore the fear that paraded around his thoughts and his instinct to flee from this danger. Then Thann made his first move.

"You!" he snarled as he swung his sword in a vicious side-cut. It was a move that would definitely take Link's head off at the shoulders if it were to connect.

For a moment, Link was tempted to say something cheeky in reply to the near mindless shout, something like, 'you, what exactly?' But he was thrown off guard by the blinding speed and deadly accuracy of the strike.

Link had had a few mock sword battles with Ilia before, so he supposed he vaguely knew what he was doing. He brought his sword up vertically to block the vicious sweeping strike. It was then that Link really learned the difference between assumed competence and actual prowess.

His hands were untrained in the ways of holding a sword and he was admittedly much weaker than his opponent. He lost his grip on his weapon as soon as the bandit's sword connected with his own. Link's arms were jarred with absolutely agony as his sword was sent spinning to the side. He reeled backwards with the shock of the absolute strength behind the blow.

Link felt his heart nearly stop at he saw the bandit coming forward again with hardly a break in his stride. Thann's sword was already swinging down on him in a slice meant to cleave him in two. Link realized then that this was a fight he could never hope to win; he was out of his depth. Simultaneously, he instantly knew that the only way he could hope to hold out for any amount of time, would be his speed and agility. He rolled away from the deadly arc of the blade and ran for his sword.

He picked it up just as the bandit struck again. This time, learning from his previous mistake, Link did not try to block the wild uncontrolled hit, instead he dodged it at the last moment. Thann was thrown off balance as his strike met with nothing but empty air. His unrelenting timing was broken for a moment and Link tried a retaliatory strike. The bandit recovered quickly and blocked Link's slow clumsy stroke with ease. Then it was his turn for retaliation. They kept on like this for a short while, but Link was tiring fast, and Thann's head was starting to clear from his blind rage.

Link wasn't a swordsman, he wasn't a warrior. He may have been fast but he had nowhere near the skill that his opponent had garnered from himself by years of practice. There really was no contest. As Link was recovering from a desperate roll to the side, Thann twisted his sword in a flashing display that confused Link's eyes before he struck from an unexpected direction. It all happened so fast that Link was forced to try and block the fearsome downward stroke that resulted from the maneuver in a last hope effort. He held his overlong, over heavy, sword with one hand on the grip and the other on a point a little more than halfway down the sword, braced against the flat part of the blade. It was a classic quarterstaff block. It wasn't something he especially thought about but he seemed to instinctively know that, without his hands and arms in a position to provide leverage on both sides of his body, he would not be strong enough to hold back one of Thann's crushing strikes.

The maneuver saved his life. It stopped the sword but the devastating force behind it threw him to his back. As he lay winded on the ground he realized his right hand was bleeding slightly from where his sword blade had been pressed hard into the flesh of his lower palm and fingers.

Link did not have time to focus on that though. He felt a jarring pain in his left hand as the bandit's boot collided with it hard, destroying his grip on the handle and sending the weapon spinning from his grasp for a second time. The motion was accompanied by another lightning sword strike that left Link no time to try and move properly out of the way.

Link screamed in agony as the point of the Reihmag's sword buried itself deep into the muscles of his upper arm. Link's eyes were wide and tearing with pain and shock as he stared at the sharpened length of metal embedded there. He had gotten hit, he realized numbly. Indistinctly, he could hear the screams of the villagers, especially Uli as the bravest among them tried and failed to fight their way to his defense.

Everything had taken on a nightmarish quality for Link. His mind had lost all focus and clarity. He screamed again. The keening sound was only halted by his broken sobs as Thann withdrew the sword cruelly slow. The sight of blood, his blood, and the horror of it all froze Link where he lay. All he could do was watch unarmed, helpless, and silent as the bandit raised his sword for the final kill.

Suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, something screaming threw itself upon the bandit leader, throwing the vengeful man totally off guard. Link's dazed senses suddenly became aware that that something was Fado. Somehow, the bigger boy had broken through the bandit's line and had come to Link's defense. Fado, taking advantage of the startling effect his surprise attack had caused, began attacking the bandit with a barrage of closed-fisted blows and kicks. Initially, his furious onslaught drove Thann back a few paces. His victory was short lived, however. Fado was just a kid and was as inexperienced as Link was when it came to combat. In a matter of moments he was sent flying by a hit from Thann. Fado landed hard on the ground and lay unmoving.

Link stared on in horror once again as Thann re-gathered himself and raised his sword for the killing stroke. Link closed his eyes and waited for death to descend. He wished he had the strength to die without the prescience of the tears rolling down his cheeks, so he could die like a warrior despite his failure. But he could not stop his tears. He didn't want to die, especially not this way. It all seemed like such a terrible waste to him.

He opened his again when he heard the ringing clash of metal on metal just above his head. He stared up, confused at the two blades that crossed just above him. Then he widened his focus to see a familiar figure standing resolutely above him. Rusl's sword had stopped that of the Reihmag leader's just before the stroke could connect with Link. The former soldier stood protectively over Link. His entire manner was calm and confident, but his eyes were blazing with such quiet anger that Link almost felt bad for Thann- almost. Link felt a sudden rush of gratitude for both Fado and the blacksmith.

He soon became aware of the fact that Rusl had not come alone either. Already, a platoon of Hyrule soldiers was rushing the four other standing bandits. Link realized hazily that Rusl must have led them through the mountain passes behind Ordon in order to have gotten them there unobserved so quickly. Then he closed his eyes as the pain in his arm intensified.

When he looked up again, he saw Rusl and Thann locked in a sword duel. Where Link had been totally untrained and inexperienced, he could see that Rusl was not. The two men traded blows in a dizzying display that Link could hardly follow though his pain. The world seemed to almost be spinning around him. despite this, he could see that both combatants appeared to be near evenly matched. Thann however was already bordering on tired. Rusl was not. The blacksmith had the light of total purpose in his eyes; he would do most anything to protect his own. It was Thann who began to give ground before the former soldier.

"Keep away from my country, keep away from my people, and keep away from my family!" Rusl's voice was low and deadly and, although his words weren't loud, they carried. Link also noticed that the highland burr that usually softly accented his words was far more pronounced than usual. It was a sure sign of his purposeful anger.

Link shuddered in pain and winced as black spots began overtaking his vision as well as his consciousness. Through his fading awareness he saw was Uli racing towards him. She knelt beside him and held him gently as she tried to stop the bleeding in his arm.

Link winced again as the pain in his arm intensified, causing more tears to stream down his face. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," he whispered. "This was my fault…"

She tried to hush him gently, "It's alright, Link. That does not matter to me. Everything will be alright and so will you. It's over now."

Her anxious eyes met his as she gently ran a soothing hand through his hair.

"It seems I forgot that you told me it was a very bad idea to put that plant into the soup." Link said feebly, trying to ease the pain and worry that creased her face. "You were right about it being on the deadly side for everyone, including me." He gave her the best puppy dog eyes he could manage despite his weakened state, "and I didn't even eat any of it." He murmured as he tried to smile.

Shortly after, he lost the battle for consciousness. But, this time, nothing seemed as scary, painful and dark as it had seemed before; especially not now that he knew that they had won. They had won and everyone was going to be alright.

~x~X~x~

Link walked softly through the forest, his small bare feet hardly making a sound on the loamy ground. A few of the early summer flowers were still in bloom; their fragrant scent drifted towards his nose as a gentle breeze blew. He changed his direction slightly to avoid them. No plants bruised as easily as delicate forest flowers and that would leave a clear trail. He held his sandals loosely in his hand for the same reason.

It had been about a week since the bandits had been defeated and captured and their leader had been killed. Link had been forced to spend the majority of those days in bed recovering from his injuries under Uli's watchful care. The five days had been an unending mix of boredom and quite a bit of awkwardness. Link was not used to being, nor did he enjoy being, in the center of attention. Unfortunately for him, his actions to stop the bandits had made him just that.

The days had gone by in a sort of blur for him as he rested and alternated between being scolded for being reckless and being praised and thanked for his efforts and courage. Mayor Bo and Uli were at the forefront of this, but some of the other villagers chimed in with their opinions too. The only one who had said nothing as of yet was Rusl. Link felt his heart twist slightly at the thought. Rusl was the one person that he really wished would say something, anything about what had happened.

Link still did not exactly know what to make of everything. Neither did Fado or Ilia, he had found when they came to visit him. Fado and Ilia had found themselves similarly treated when the full story of what they had done got out. Even the Hyrule soldiers had added their input, though theirs was more along the lines of gratitude. Link had, after all, made their job much easier for them by knocking out the majority of their would-be opponents before the battle. The soldiers had left the day previous and had even helped the villagers fix the bridge out of Ordon before they went.

It was because of the news that the soldiers had fixed the bridge and because of boredom that he had snuck away from his enforced bed rest. Because of the business with the bandits and the broken bridge, he had been totally unable to tend to his secret. It was the secret he had been hiding since before the bandits had come. It had been a little more than a week since he had seen her last. Though he had no desire to upset Uli or anyone else, he found he had to know if she was alright. Knowing that he was not supposed to have left Uli's house, and still not quite willing to share his secret yet, he had left without being seen and wanted to keep it that way.

As he continued forwards, he got the sudden ominous feeling that someone was watching him. He glanced furtively over his shoulder, scanning the trees and shrubs behind him: nothing. The feeling slowly faded and he turned back around.

Although he could shake the feeling of being watched, he could not shake the paranoia that someone was trailing him. It could be that Ilia or Fado had taken note of, and interest in, his recent disappearance. Or, in worst case scenario, it could be one of the dark creatures of the woods. He had heard rumors of bulblins and other such nasty creatures. His thoughts teemed nervously with the thought that maybe a few bandits were still at large. Either way, he needed to act.

He glanced over his shoulder one last time before making his move. He decided to put into effect a few tricks he had learned by watching forest animals evade predators mixed with a few tricks of his own. He suddenly darted into the shade of a near-by tree so he would be out of the line of sight of anyone behind him. Taking a deep breath, he went to work. He dashed into the thicker parts of the woods, laying a false trail, doubling back, and then leaping to the top of a rock and heading off in a new direction.

Then he ran towards a dried shallow rocky ravine bed and made it look as if he entered there before leaping nimbly up to grab a thick nearby tree limb. He swung easily but carefully into the tree's branches. Despite his careful movement, the action jarred his still healing arm painfully, pulling at the stitches and still raw torn muscle. He paused to take a breather and cradle the now throbbing limb before he swarmed across large bow, carefully swung into another tree, and dropped to the ground in the opposite direction. He then continued on his way, trying his best to leave no trail or a trail that would be very hard to follow.

All his evasive maneuvering had thrown him slightly off course and he had gone far north of his intended destination. He knew this because he was reaching the edge of the woods. When that realization dawned on him he slowed to a stop, all his previous thoughts momentarily wiped from his mind at the sight of the edge of the woods.

He had never gone so far north before. The temptation was just too great -he just had to see what was beyond the tree line. He had, of course, seen maps of the kingdom but a rough sketch on parchment and the actual thing were very different. He walked lightly towards the woodland fringe, all thoughts of his previous purpose suddenly gone from his mind. He crouched near the border of the woods and moved the branch of a low growing bush aside so he could see out.

He was expecting to see and flat land filled with grasses but even that expectation did not dull the beauty of the sight that met his eyes. There was a shallow river and a small lake, or large pond running right through the middle of the plains. The narrowest part of the stretch of water was spanned by an arching wooden bridge. Off to the northwest, he could make out the tall red rock canyons. The plain itself was dotted here and there by a few tree-covered plateaus.

As he looked, a motion caught his eye. He could see small figures in the distance. Even from his far off position, he could tell that they were soldiers and knights. Most of them were mounted. Their armor and weapons glistened in the sunlight. They were headed to the arching wooden bridge and drawing nearer to him with every one of their horses' strides. The symbol of the kingdom was emblazoned on all their sur-coats. It was a depiction of a Loftwing, a mythical creature of old. He knew this from the story book that he had taught himself to read, with a little help from Ordon's mayor.

Link could not take his eyes from the noble, shining, confident figures of the knights and soldiers. To a boy who had almost nothing, they were near to the most amazing things he had ever seen. The soldiers that Rusl had brought back to save the village were impressive and awe inspiring, but they had been in the light armor of the lower ranks. What he saw now, he supposed, were some of the kingdom's finest knights. It was as if the stories and daydreams that consumed much of his free time were coming to life before his eyes. He suddenly found himself quite pleased that he had done this instead of laying completely still in bed all day again, despite the fact that he knew he might get in trouble for leaving when he came back.

As they crossed the bridge and began to travel parallel to where he sat, he saw with interest that the soldiers and knights were all positioned around two other mounted figures, and in between them a knight was holding a banner. The banner depicted a finally colored rendition of the royal crest.

Link felt his mouth drop open as he realized that the two proud riders in the middle were members of the royal family. The taller of the two was partially hidden by the flowing banner but he could make out a gleaming flash of gold. Link's eyes widened even further when he realized that that figure must be the king. He had never actually ever seen the king before but everyone in the village was always praising him for being a wise ruler. He shifted his gaze from the figure of the illusive King and settled it upon the one in front of the banner, nearest to him. At first he could see little because the rider was so short, but his line of vision cleared when one of the knights shifted position slightly.

There directly across from him rode the princess- it could be no one else. Her brunette hair was long and flowing and on her head there rested a small simple circlet made from gold leaf. She appeared to be around his own age, ab, maybe a year or two older. Even at a distance he could see that she was beautiful. As he looked at her, he suddenly felt an odd sense of recognition. Although that sounded nonsensical since he had never seen her before. Suddenly, he felt an odd warm tingly sensation on the back of his hand and he absently rubbed the spot where his odd triangle shaped birthmark was situated. He noticed with a measure of surprise that the young princess was mirroring his action from her perch atop the horse. She looked down at her hand with a puzzled expression and then upwards towards the forest where he was hidden.

He resisted the urge to duck down. He knew the shadows and ferns of the woods were hiding him. Also, he had learned from watching the creatures of the woods that, often, people didn't know something was there until it moved.

Her big beautiful teal eyes seemed to linger over the spot where he lay, almost as if she could see him. His breath caught in his throat when one of the soldiers turned to scan the forest suspiciously as he asked, "Is something wrong, your highness?"

Link felt his heart beat faster. He had no idea if spying and staring at the princess was against the law. Suppose he was to be seen and caught. What would happen to him then? He wondered fearfully. He desperately wanted to duck but he knew from experience that when the deer or birds of the forest made sudden moves or broke from cover out of fear they were usually taken out by the hunter.

"It's nothing, captain," the princess said softly, "just a weird feeling is all."

The soldier shrugged and trotted a little ahead. The princess gave one last curious glance at the wood and turned around as well. An odd feeling ran through Link as he watched her go. To him it was almost like the feeling of the way people described fate or destiny, which was odd because he did not know her. The beautiful dapple grey Gypsy Vaner horse she was riding tossed its mane and sidestepped excitedly a few paces before the princess urged it back on track. Soon, the party was disappearing into the distance.

Horse! Link jerked back into reality with a start. He had almost forgotten the reason he had been out on the first place. Gathering his startled wits, he headed back into the woods. This time he took no precautions to hide his trail. He headed about a quarter of a mile south before he reached a small dell surrounded on all sides by steep rocks except for a small path that lead down into it. He had built a crude fence in between the rocks on either side of the path so it would seal the dell completely. He climbed over his makeshift fence and into the enclosed hollow. Inside pranced his secret, the reason he wanted no one to follow him, a prize that no one in his village save himself knew about.

He plucked some whistle grass and blew a sweet simple melody on it. Instantly the young filly inside the pen perked her ears forward and trotted towards him with an excited neigh. He walked towards her and she thrust her soft muzzle into his hands. He stroked her neck and fondled her ears. He had been teaching her to come to the sound of his whistle.

He was relieved to see that she was alright. Despite the fact that the little dell had a stream and plenty of grass for her to eat, he had worried about her. He had found her several days before the bandits came, wandering lost, half-starved, and alone in the woods. He had caught her and now she was his. He had instantly felt sorry for the horse when he saw she had no parents, he knew how deeply that hurt. She thrust her long nose into his face and he laughed when her whiskers tickled his cheek.

The smile on his face vanished when he once again felt the disturbing sensation that someone was watching him. He gave a nervous glance around. His filly seemed to sense his worry and looked at him with something that could almost have been considered concern in her large dark eyes.

The fact that he might be being observed was rather worrisome. He had not brought his horse back to the village because he was afraid that he might not be allowed to keep her or, worse, she would become the village's horse instead of his own. The people of Ordon lived together in a very tight knit community, almost like and extended family. Things were often shared or made communal. A horse was a rare and wealthy commodity and it was not too far off the mark to think that they might want his new filly as the village's horse.

His quick sweep of the landscape brought up nothing and he relaxed. His muscles tensed up again instantly, when a voice spoke.

"So, this is what you've been up to, young Link." The voice was soft but gruff.

Link whirled around, eyes wide, to see Rusl standing directly behind his makeshift fence. It seemed almost as if he had appeared out of the blue by some magic spell, such was the stealthy nature of his approach.

He hung his head and shuffled his feet awkwardly as he faced Rusl. His mind raced through the list of rules he had broken. He was sure he would catch it. He had ditched his bed rest, run off without telling anyone and, in keeping his horse a secret, it could very well be said that he had lied.

"I-I'm… I'm sorry sir," he said so quietly that he almost didn't hear himself.

Rusl stepped easily over his makeshift fence and walked towards him with his even, measured, confident strides.

Link gave a quick glance upward to see a grim expression on Rusl's rugged features. Link felt his mouth go dry; that facial expression wasn't a good sign. It was true that he had seen a grim expression on Rusl's face many times, but this one looked especially so. He hung his head as Rusl walked closer, gingerly rubbing his still sore arm in a nervous gesture. He looked up when he realized that Rusl had walked past him and towards his young horse.

"She is beautiful," Rusl said in that same soft voice.

His young draft horse started to back away from Rusl, but Link reached out a hand to calm her. Rusl stoked her and looked at her carefully, commenting on her coloring and near perfect lines.

Link felt a rush of pride at his compliment but it faded away into worry about what Rusl would do now that he knew.

"How did you manage to catch your little foal?"

The implication of the word 'your,' eased Link's worries substantially and he looked at Rusl hopefully.

"She was… I found her alone in the woods, before the bandits. The goatherd taught me a little about working with the goats and I sort of… wrangled her." His voice sounded very small at first but gradually gained in confidence. "I know I was not supposed to be out of bed yet but I was feeling better and I needed to know she was okay."

To Link's surprise Rusl merely nodded.

"So you are a young wrangler as well as an expert in evasive maneuvering, eh?"

Link hung his head again, the words were almost complimentary but the sarcastic tone gave the impression that he was in big trouble.

"I'm sorry?" he ventured

"I should think so," Rusl said straight faced. "You sneak away without alerting anyone to that fact. Do you have no idea how dangerous the woods can be? Then you walk as silently as a wraith, make your footprints hardly visible then heavily conceal your trail. I had a devil of a time trying to find you." He paused a moment before continuing. "Next time you try to hide your trail by climbing a tree and leaping into another one, make sure you don't bruise or break any of the leaves, that way, even a master tracker would have difficulty finding you. Though the constant leaping to the side was a rather nice touch," he added almost like an afterthought. "Next time however, try not to dislodge the stone you leap on."

Link flinched at the tone and then felt his shoulders lift when he paid attention to the words that had been spoken. He looked up surprised to see that Rusl was smiling at him. The sight of it made an echo of the expression appear on Link's own face.

"I don't know about training to be a blacksmith, but I have been watching you for a while. And I heard what you, Fado and Ilia did while I was gone."

Link looked up a little nervously at this, though successful, his plan had put a lot of people at risk, including Uli. Though Rusl's opinion was what he had been wanting to hear, now that it was actually happening, he was almost afraid to hear what the blacksmith would have to say about it.

"While your methods were reckless, you have a quick head on your shoulders. You already posses some of the skills held by that of a woodsman and a warrior. With a little training, you could be a great one. Although next time a brilliant scheme hits you, it would probably be best if you discussed it with your elders first before acting. Things might go a bit better that way."

Link was about to try and apologize again when the full import of Rusl's words hit him. "Sir?" He tried, hardly able to believe his own ears. "Are you saying that you'll… that I will be…"

"My apprentice?" Rusl finished for him. "Yes, I am. Though it is something that you are going to have to work for. You have to be dedicated. I am not going to lie: it will be a lot of work. It has to be something you really want and will be willing to try for."

"Yes! Thank you," Link began in a rush and then tried again. "I understand. I never expected it to be easy," He said, unable to hide the grin that spread across his face. Already he had promised in his mind that he would work hard and prove he could be a worthy student. Once again, he thought he could see a light of approval in the former soldier's eyes before he spoke again.

"Also, you can help me in the forge to make up for the time I will lose in order to teach you. If you train your horse well, you can even use her to help herd the goats and plowing."

Link nodded again. He would have promised to farm the entire village himself if it meant he could be Rusl's apprentice. Then he frowned suddenly as a question came to mind. He felt a little awkward about asking it but his curiosity got the better of him. He just had to know, so he took the plunge.

"If you don't mind me asking," he started awkwardly. "What made you decide that I could be your apprentice?"

Rusl considered him seriously for a moment before answering.

"Like I said before, you possess many of the qualities of a woodsman and a warrior, but I suppose I knew for sure when I saw you nearly give your own life to try and defend Uli. It was then I knew that you had the right heart for it. A person with the skills of a fighter who possesses neither the heart nor honor of a knight will never be anything more than a power hungry bully. I would not seek to give you a weapon unless I was sure that you would use it for the right reason and with honor. What you did was courageous, and I am proud of you."

Link felt himself nearly flush with pleasure, gratitude and pride, at the man's words. His heart warmed to hear the words he had craved to hear for so long, then a niggling doubt entered his mind. It was something that had been troubling him for a while. It was a feeling of failure that whispered to his conscience that he was not ready.

"It was my fault that she was in trouble in the first place. I just wanted to save the village and it worked, mostly, but I realize that I made a lot of mistakes. Things turned out alright in the end, but they could have been much worse. I am not so sure that I will make a very good apprentice."

"Of course you made mistakes. You will probably make more than you can count in the future and that is not a problem in it of itself. Bear in mind that a mistake is only a problem if you don't learn from it and move on. It is because you recognize your mistakes and will do almost anything to fix them that I know you will make a good student and a good man someday. If you work at it, that is.

"Now, do you have a lead rope, or will your horse follow you?" Rusl asked quietly.

Link felt mollified by his words, already promising himself that he would live up to Rusl's faith in him. In answer to the question, Link said nothing but instead turned to his little filly, patted her nose and clicked with his tongue.

Rusl nodded as the small horse started to trot after the small boy.

"You can keep her in the old stall by the abandoned old house."

Link nodded and the two of them headed off towards Ordon without another word. Link looked into the face of the swordsman and, for a brief moment, thought he saw the warrior's eyes soften ever so slightly. Link felt his heart lighten at the sight.

* * *

**A/N:** So, pretty long chapter, sorry about that. There was just a lot I needed to get out. At least I did not give it a total cliffhanger ending this time XD though there are a few strings left that I still need to tie off. Yes I could not help but add the princess, even if she was at a distance, just riding by with her father now that the land is safe again. She is such an integral part of the Legend of Zelda after all. Epona also has a rather special place in my heart and TPLink just does not seem complete without her.

I have often found that people underestimate the intelligence of children. It is my experience that they can have bursts of ingenuity, creativity, and understanding that is close to the level of someone much older and are only limited by the limits of the practical application of their knowledge. (My sister and I came up with many devious schemes as kids)I find that the deciding factor is that children do not often stop to consider the long reaching consequences of their actions, so that is my reasoning when it comes to a young Link.

Also, a bit of a note on Link's battle with Thann. I know Link possess the hero's spirit, but I don't think that that fact alone would just automatically make him an epic swordsman the moment he touches a sword for the first time. That is in no way realistic. Swordsmanship is a skill and even if you posses natural talent in that area it is still something that takes a lot of practice and experience to master. I think (and I wrote it that way) that the hero's spirit he possesses will make him a natural when it comes to the arts of fighting but even near prodigies have to hone their abilities, otherwise they are nothing. I am more in favor that the hero's spirit might give him an almost instinctual edge when it comes to combat situations. When he sees or finds himself in a fight he might instinctively understand what is going on and what he needs to do to survive, though I believe that without experience and practice, the knowledge or flashes of instinct alone would not be enough to save him. In short he has potential but all potential, no matter what skill, always needs to be honed in order for someone to become a master. So I hope you are all ok with that.

Don't forget to review! O.O The conclusion/epilogue will be up on time (I am pretty sure this time) this upcoming Wednesday. I wish you all the most pleasant and blessed days until then!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Well, here is the final chapter of this short story! Thank you to everyone who read followed, reviewed and favorited. You guys were the chief inspiration and motivation X3 so thanks again for your support!

**NoSignalBlueScreen:** I am glad you liked it! That warms my heart to hear, Thank you. Yeah, I couldn't help but stick those in there (it comes from being a nerd, I am pretty sure XD) awww thanks :3 I will be working hard on the third book, so that way you don't have to wait so long. I hope you have an awesome week!

**silverheartlugia2000:** I am glad you liked it, I was a bit worried some people might not like that I did that (Fantasy is awesome, but I like it best when it has a flare of realism in it.) Yeah I noticed that too, in ST he just had that guard guy teach him a few moves and he was an epic swordsman DX oh well. I think baby Epona is pretty cute, I couldn't just leave her out XD thanks for the reviews!

**Twilight16:** no problem, that happens to me all the time XD Devious plans with sibling FTW! Those are some very wise words indeed :) it's like the saying 'never do tomorrow what you can do today, because you never know how long you've got. Or like Gandalf's quote 'we cannot choose how much time we have, only what we do with the time that is given us.' I totally agree! Yup you did spell it right. Yup, that's pretty much how it is with me (its rather unfair) no need to apologize, especially not when I am more than happy to join your rant XD Thank you so much for your reviews, they really brightened my day!

**Storm Dragon Wolf Princess:** I am glad to hear both XD Yeah! I am glad I have made some sense for once XD Yes, I could have ended it there, but I decided there were a few other things that I could try and tie off (so that there are no loose ends) Thank you for your reviews! You are totally awesome!

**Yami no Nokutan:** awwwww Thanks :3 I am glad you liked it. Overlooking things, is one of the most dangerous pastimes of all, if you ask me XD dawwww *blushes* That makes me super happy XD I absolutely hate it when great stories have lousy endings, so I try hard not to do that. I am glad that you like them (gee, it must be, be nice to Mini-me day today) She does sound pretty smart and awesome, if I do say so myself :D Well, when I played the game, none of them gave me the idea that they were unintelligent, so I tried to keep them sharp XD Thank you so much for your kind words and support, it really means a lot!

**CupcakePride101:** I thought so too, I really liked how both of them turned out. Yeah I could not just not have him come swooping in XD yeah I totally get what you meant. Sometimes I think it would be better if our words were like the ancient Greeks. They had different words for love based on the type: romantic, brotherly, lighthearted/friendly ect. That would save on some confusion XD I agree it is quite unfair. Thank you so much for your reviews!

**Ancient. tree:** Thank you for all your reviews, they totally made my day to read them X) Thanks for the compliments also btw. Yes Thann is a bit short sighted, especially when he gets angry (he had some breathtaking anger management problems) you're right about the villagers, but Thann was being irrational and not thinking so very clearly (he did just lose everything in the blink of an eye after all XD) I am glad you enjoyed the author's notes (and random references) as well as the tale itself XD Thanks again!

**Arison Nakaru:** Yay, Link indeed XD Yes, there will be one more chapter (but I am sure that by now you already know that XD) Thank you for your reviews and support!

* * *

**Epilogue**

Link exited Uli's home early one morning to be greeted by the sight of Rusl standing near the stream that ran through the middle of Ordon village. He was in a fighter's stance with his gleaming broadsword in his hand. The former soldier swung the blade about himself in several polished movements as he practiced his technique.

Link watched in fascination, his own hand seeming to move of its own volition as he tried to mimic the movements. For the past few days, Rusl had been teaching him woodcraft, tracking, hunting, and a small amount of smithing, but, as of late, no actual weapons skill.

"Have you seen to that horse of yours yet?" Rusl asked without even turning to look as he deftly twisted his sword blade.

Link had given up being surprised at the former blacksmith's sometimes uncanny observation skills. He started to shake his head but then realized how wasted that action was when Rusl was not even looking at him.

"No sir," he said finally.

"Well then, get to it lad, she's completely your responsibility now. When you've finished your chores, if the sun has not yet set, meet me in the clearing. It's about time we talked about the sword."

"Yes sir," he said again as he hurried off, smiling.

In the four days he had been Rusl's apprentice, he had begun to realize that the former soldier was not quite as gruff or forbidding as Link had previously thought. The man smiled and laughed a lot when things weren't so serious.

His filly was penned just outside the abandoned house. Much to his surprise, he saw Fado standing near the small coral, gently stroking the small horse's soft nose.

"She is a sweet little thing," Fado said when he looked up and saw Link approaching. "Ilia already fed and watered her for you this morning," he added, by way of stopping Link before he went to draw water for the trough.

"She has?" Link asked in mild surprise, "Well, that was nice of her."

"I'd be a little more wary than that if I was you," Fado warned in the manner of good natured jibe. "She had taken quite a liking to Epona and, if you're not careful, she might just take her for her own." Fado grinned. "Girls do things like this in carefully planned nefarious stages. It is all calculated and slow, so that you don't even realize your prized possession has been stolen. Stage one, is helping to take care of said prized object. If you don't watch carefully, she will just slowly extend her hold until it is too late for you."

Link chuckled, "Yup, that sounds like Ilia alright."

"Don't say I didn't warn you, when the time comes," Fado said whilst trying to keep a straight face. "You did get permission to keep her as your own didn't you?" he asked as an afterthought.

"Rusl said I could keep her as mine, since I found her."

"Despite the fact you snuck away from enforced bed rest to get her?" Fado asked jokingly.

"Rusl actually did not seem so very bothered that I weaseled my way out of bed rest… well, not totally. Uli certainly didn't take it very well when she found out though," Link muttered, frowning at the memory.

"Oh, so that's why you had to wash the dishes four nights ago," Fado smirked. "Honestly Link, how many times do you have to get in trouble before you learn? This is the third time in as many weeks."

"As opposed to, say, you, who has spent," here Link paused, pretending to consider, "oh, the last two days in a row doing dishes, if I remember right."

"Well at least I did not go and make up a story about seeing the princess as an excuse to try and weasel my way out of getting in trouble."

Link lifted his eyes to heaven at that. Nobody had believed him when he said he had seen the princess. By now, it had become a longstanding sort of joke in the village. It was already morphing into overused and, in his opinion, stupid phrases like: 'but Link doesn't have to do that because he saw the princess,' or 'don't worry about that Link, you might actually see that princess, and then that problem will be solved.'

"I was merely telling the truth when I said that," Link protested wearily.

"A delusional truth, not to mention an excuse," Fado replied.

"Well at least I am smart enough to try and come up with one."

"But not smart enough to make it believable," Fado sensed that for once he was on the top of their verbal jousting, and he was enjoying it.

Link sensed it too and was not just going to take it lying down.

"Well it must work sometimes since I seem to get dishes duty far less often than you. I'm surprised you haven't scrubbed your fingers totally off by now."

"I'm too strong for that to ever happen," Fado said proudly.

"In your hands, maybe, but not in the head."

Fado's face fell into an exaggerated pout at this rejoinder.

All this was very similar to the way they used to hurl insults at each other but, this time, the pain, malice, and defensive anger that was the usual undercurrent to such discussions was not present in their words. They had both changed, Link realized. He found himself rather liking that. He had begun to admire Fado as a person. His actions during the bandit invasion had earned him Link's utmost respect. Judging by the open friendly look in Fado's green eyes, the feeling seemed to be mutual.

"Listen," Link began a little hesitantly but entirely earnest. "I never properly thanked you for saving my life, so… Thank you."

Fado flushed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Rusl did most of the saving as I recall. Also, it wasn't anything that you wouldn't have done in my place," he mumbled. "You did save my life too, you know."

Link smiled, his own cheeks reddening in embarrassment. Rather at a loss for words, he simply held out his hand. Fado clasped it eagerly.

~x~X~x~

Link made his way up to the pasture at a relaxed pace, taking the time to enjoy the familiar scenery around him. He had been working hard as Rusl's apprentice for about four months. It had been the hardest he had ever worked, but he had never felt so purpose driven before.

For the first time in a long time, he had the day off in honor of the early harvest festival. He knew exactly who he wanted to spend the day with. Link made his way easily up the steep incline until he reached the fence. He reclined casually against the cut wood and stared inside at the peacefully grazing animals. He scanned the white shaggy bodies in earnest until he picked out the figure he was looking for.

"Fado!" he called happily.

The older boy turned and waved, flashing him a grin.

Whilst during the process of re-gathering the escaped goats that Link had stampeded, during the bandit invasion, Fado had discovered that he had a natural talent and hand when it came to the animals. As Link looked at him now, he could just see it. Fado definitely had a way with the often ill tempered beasts. As of late, they never seemed to be ill tempered around Fado. The bigger boy could be surprisingly gentle when he took a mind to be.

The goatherd had noticed Fado's natural or innate feeling for the livestock and had sought him out as an apprentice. Fado seemed to have taken quite a liking for the goats and so had accepted gratefully. He was working as hard, but enjoying himself as much as Link was. Fado came across the pasture now, and leaned against the fence pilings that separated them.

"Did Rusl give you the day off?" he asked with an easy smile.

"Sure did! What about you? Do you have the day off also?"

Fado nodded in reply, "We can spend it together?"

"Sure," Link readily agreed.

Having decided, they both nodded at each other. There was a sudden moment of companionable silence that soon turned awkward as it wore on in length. Link shuffled his feet.

"So…." he began eventually, "What do you want to do today then?"

Fado shrugged, "I'm not sure, actually."

Link pursed his lips. '_It was just typical, wasn't it,_' he thought annoyed. Finally, they both had the day off and neither of them knew what to do with it.

Suddenly, Link smiled. It was a smile that usually meant that he had some mischievous idea or other in his mind, Fado knew. He unconsciously leaned in closer, already more than happy to go along with whatever Link was planning. He could use something amusing to brighten up his life a touch.

"Have you seen Ilia lately?" Link asked mildly.

Fado nodded once. "Yes, I have," he admitted easily, wondering where this was going.

"Well, then, you must have noticed how seriously she had been acting lately," said Link airily- it wasn't a question.

"Yes, I have," Fado mused in that same light conversational tone that Link had adopted, now that he had caught on. "She was all after me the other day for being immature. She seems to have gotten the idea that she needs to be behaving more responsibly, like an adult." Fado said the last part in a tone of disgust. "She hasn't even wanted to do anything fun for a long time."

Link nodded sagely, "It is a problem. If she starts adulthood now, it will only make her have a shorter life. I have also heard that too much seriousness is unhealthy. She could become sickly."

"Also, since she hasn't been running with us, I don't think she is getting the proper amount of exercise." Fado said, furrowing his brow as he played at concern. "Exercise is important after all."

"It is," Link agreed. "And as her friends, it's our duty to make sure she is in peak physical condition."

"We would be failing her if we didn't."

Link and Fado grinned maliciously at each other, hardly able to hold in their laughter.

"So what will be the plan for operation, _Save Ilia_?"

"Don't look at me," Fado said easily. "You are obviously the brains, while I…" Fado struck what he thought was a manly pose. "I am obviously the muscles." He waggled his eyebrows at Link and kissed his flexed bicep.

Link found it impossible to hold in his laughter any longer after that display. He let out an undignified snort, and held his sides. Fado too, gave up his feigned seriousness.

"Well it's a good thing you are the muscles." Link said as their laughter began to die down, "Because we will need them to dig a mud pit and string a running line through the trees. Meet me by the bend in the south stream with some rope. I need to get a lantern. Ilia _is_ still terrified of the thought of poes, isn't she?" he added questioningly.

"I do believe so," Fado replied.

Later that evening, after the feast, and when it was just dark enough for his rouse to work, Link watched from the shadows of the trees as Fado led an unsuspecting Ilia straight towards their trap.

Link watched almost gleefully as he yanked on the rope pulley that he and Fado had spent half the afternoon rigging. Right on cue, the lantern he had 'borrowed' from Uli swung out of the trees. It contained a fairy, for a fire didn't give an enthrall light that both boys thought that a poe would have. The lantern followed the path of the rope runner it was tied to. The artifice of it went unseen by his quarry because of the dark evening shadows. All Ilia saw was a floating lantern, the sign of a poe, racing towards her out of the trees. Thinking that she was being perused by an evil spirit, she screamed and fled ahead of it at full speed- straight into the very open arms of the mud-trap, which had taken the two boys the other half of the afternoon to prepare.

Ilia spluttered, shocked, as she stood in the hip deep mud wallow and turned furiously around. If the perfectly placed trap has not alerted her to the fact that this had all been an elaborate prank, then the sight of Link and Fado practically rolling on the ground with laughter told her well enough. She had been terrified for no reason and, worse still, was half submerged in mud. Ignoring their laughing calls that she should have seen her face- really it was a stupid thing to say since it would be physically impossible for anyone to see their own face aside from a reflection- she let out a low growl of anger.

"Link! Fado!" she screamed in a rage. "You… you…" whatever she was going to say was lost in another wordless outcry of annoyance. "You can bet your lives that the adults are going to hear about this! And you know what, sometimes I think I liked it better when you were enemies!" she ranted.

It was not true, of course but, since they had ganged up on her, it was only a natural sentiment to feel in the moment. Her exclamation only elicited more laughter from the two pranksters. Her anger drained slightly and her expression softened, defeated.

"Alright, very funny," she said begrudgingly, eyeing the madly grinning boys before her with some distaste.

"Now, if you please, help me out," she smiled as she held her hand up towards them.

Link, who had taken a few paces towards her, took a step back.

"Oh, no," he said, holding his hands out in front of him, "I am not falling for that again."

He looked to Fado who had walked up beside him. "Last time she asked for help from a position like that, she pulled me in with her."

Ilia grinned roguishly, that had been her idea this time, but she wasn't about to admit it. There were other ways to get friendly revenge after all.

"But Link, I don't have to do that to get even this time," she said smoothly.

As she spoke, she flung two giant fistfuls of mud at her tormentors. Her aim was true and the globs landed smack in the middle of both their faces. This time, Ilia's laughter joined theirs.

The three friends walked arm in arm back towards the village, mud coated, but contented. As the sight of the small village in the dell, back dropped by a screen of bright stars, came into view, Link stopped for a moment. The smell of food from the feast still lingered in the air, accompanied by the familiar scent of wood smoke. The sounds of laughing and celebrating villagers wafted through the night like the wood smoke.

Link smiled as he glanced from the sight of the happy villagers below to the companions at his side. He had a definite place in his village, friends, a mother, a little brother, and a mentor who was almost like a father to him. He could not even think of anything more that he could ask for. It was enough. Never before had this village and its people felt more like home than it did to him now.

**The End**

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks again guys! You are all totally awesome as far as I am concerned XD! I do love getting feedback and even constructive criticism. I hope you all found this tale to be a pleasant enough diversion :) In this chapter, and short story in general, I got to get into a few of my headcanons as to why Link seems to be so respected at the start of TP and how he became Rusl's student. I also, in this chapter, especially got to indulge in my personal headcanon as to why Rusl laughs at Link in the beginning of the game when he says that Link might even get to see the princess and Link smiles back at him with this rather world-weary look, like that is a much overused inside joke. ( I mean Rusl could also have been implying that the Princess never shows herself, but based on Link's face and what we know of Zelda, I don't really think that's the case ergo my headcanon XD Don't hesitate to PM if you have any questions or suggestions. I hope you all enjoyed this tale! And I wish you all the most amazing of days to come!

~Kazi

**~ATGTJ~**


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